Monroe molding manufacturer to shut down, laying off 54

Published 3:39 pm Friday, October 10, 2014

MONROE – Wood molding manufacturer Metrie plans to close its plant in Monroe, laying off 54 employees.

The company formerly known as Moulding &Millwork is moving the work being done in Monroe to a plant in Calgary, Alberta.

“We have a really good team in Monroe,” said John Anderson, Metrie’s vice president of human resources. “They’ve contributed to our success, but we have a state-of-the-art facility in Calgary.”

Anderson said they expect to close the Monroe plant at 14439 167th Ave SE, Monroe, by the end of this year.

He said they’re working with other manufacturers in the area to try to place the employees. He also said they’re offering severance to the employees, but he declined to discuss the details of the packages.

Metrie bills itself as the largest supplier and manufacturer of solid wood and composite molding in North America. It changed its name earlier this year.

The family-owned company with headquarters in Vancouver, B.C., has 1,200 employees at plants around North America.

The company plans to continue to operate two other plants in Washington, one in Ferndale and the other in Sumner. Those plants employ 135 people.

He said closing the Monroe plant wasn’t easy and they’re working hard to find new jobs for their employees.

“It’s always one of the toughest decision to make in business,” Anderson said.