Griffin laying off dozens

Published 2:41 am Tuesday, December 6, 2005

VALDOSTA — About 80 employees of Griffin LLC in Valdosta will lose their jobs in a corporate restructuring following the company’s recent acquisition by DuPont, cutting the company’s total workforce of 150 by more than half.

Up to 60 of the positions will be terminated, with the remainder offered the option to relocate to another DuPont facility. Not all of the 80 employees have been notified yet if their jobs are going to stay or go, with the terminations continuing at least through next week.

The potential for layoffs was reported in The Valdosta Daily Times on Nov. 7, when then-company president Rusty Griffin announced he was selling the 70-year old family company. Griffin LLC and DuPont had been partners for more than five years and DuPont purchased the remainder of the company, buying the Griffin family out and making the company a wholly owned subsidiary of DuPont.

DuPont announced at that time that up to 100 jobs worldwide of the company’s 600 total workforce would be eliminated. The company operates plants in Houston, Texas, in the United States as well as in Columbia and Brazil. It now appears that the majority of those jobs will be eliminated from the Valdosta site, the company headquarters for seven decades.

DuPont Crop Protection Public Affairs Manager Gabrielle King said Friday the company has a restructuring plan and a detailed transition plan for the employees, who are receiving severance packages. She stated that training would be provided to help those who are losing their positions.

Griffin LLC produces crop protection chemicals, including pesticides, and sells globally in more than 80 countries. In addition to administrative personnel, the local plant employs engineers, soil specialists, customer service representatives and a sales staff.



To contact Business Editor Kay Harris,please call 244-3400, ext. 280.