Genie makes cuts across company

MOSES LAKE - Moses Lake's largest employer is reducing its size across the globe in efforts to meet current customer demand.

An undisclosed number of employees were laid off from the Moses Lake plant on Wednesday, Genie Industries Marketing Communications Manager Melinda Zimmerman-Smith said. She did not know if any employees would be moving to other Genie locations.

Elimination of 120 full-time employees occurred throughout the organization, representing approximately 2 percent of the company's full-time global employee base, she said.

The company is not disclosing how many employees were eliminated per location, Zimmerman-Smith said.

The company eliminated almost all temporary positions in Moses Lake, Redmond, Baraga, Mich.; Waco, Texas, and locations in Europe. The company is not disclosing how many people were dismissed.

The company has roughly a dozen manufacturing plants and two dozen office locations worldwide.

"Our business is cyclical, so we're responding to the industries we serve, like construction," Zimmerman-Smith said. "The unstable market, coupled with the increased fuel and raw material costs have forced us to make these staffing reductions. We looked at all kinds of options, and this is just what we could do."

Genie remains in Moses Lake, she said.

"We are resizing our team to meet the current demands of our customers," Zimmerman-Smith explained. "We will continue to provide the high level of service our customers have come to expect and appreciate over the last 42 years."