Everett’s Nord Door plans to lay off workers in wake of terror attacks

By Mike Benbow

Herald Writer

Everett’s Nord Door Co., which has seen orders plummet since the terrorist attacks, soon will lay off an undetermined number of employees.

The layoffs were confirmed Tuesday by Chad Turner, general manager.

"Its due to a significant slowing of orders after Sept. 11, and our feeling that we’re not going to see any growth, at least through the winter," Turner said. "We thought it was wise to pare down our staffing at this point."

Turner said all workers have been given two weeks notice that layoffs will occur. He said the company also has asked for volunteers in the event that some employees may want to do something else.

The exact number to be laid off hasn’t been determined, Turner said.

Nord, a division of Jeld-Wen Inc., had been growing in recent years, Turner said. It now has about 375 workers.

Turner noted that the door business has slipped a bit from its high of about 18 months ago, but has continued to be strong overall, while other industries have declined.

"We’ve weathered the economic downturn better than most industries," he said. "After Sept. 11, I think most of our customers decided to take a very conservative approach and not bring in any inventory. We’ve taken in less than half our weekly order intake each week since then."