TOWN OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — It was just last week when the sudden closure of Sumitomo Rubbersent shock waves through the Town of Tonawanda and Western New York region. More than 1,500 employees learned they had lost their jobs.
Sumitomo said the closure comes after an extended examination of the facility's viability. The evaluation found mounting material and logistics costs, dated infrastructure, intermittent financial performance and changing market conditions. You can watch our previous report below and read more here.
Since that devastating news broke, a handful of local businesses and state offices have extended lifelines to those laid-off employees.
Rosina Foods is looking for individuals with strong mechanical backgrounds to join its team.
The Basil Family of Dealerships is also hanging out the help wanted sign, offering paid training and the opportunity to earn $70k the first year of employment.
We spoke to a representative from the Basil Family of Dealerships on Friday. You can find our report below and read more here.
"We have 10 locations across Western New York, we're always looking for great people and there's a lot of similarities through manufacturing and production at Sumitomo and what we do in our dealerships," said Joe Basil. "Right now I think we have 70 different positions available across the 10 locations."
The New York State Department of Labor will also be holding a job fair on December 3, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Lincoln Park Athletic Complex at 1200 Parker Blvd in the Town of Tonawanda. Invitations to the job fair are being mailed to all Sumitomo employees.
In the meantime, Workforce Buffalo has created a Sumitomo Closure Resource page. This page helps connect displaced workers with resources including resume development, job search assistance, unemployment benefits and more.
