Displaced worker site shut down

  The office tasked with helping some of the laid-off workers from Eaton get their bearings has itself been shut down.

Red Oak officials were taken by surprise last week when they learned of the recent closure of the Red Oak office of Spartan Staffing.

Last Tuesday, Spartan Staffing was abruptly closed by a district representative, to the surprise of its employees. Red Oak Chamber and Industry Director Paul Griffen spoke with company representatives, who said the closure had nothing to do with the community.

“They were very pleased with how Red Oak has supported them, and they were quite involved in the Red Oak community. They’ve been involved with our First Street Planning, and serving as mentors in after-school programs. They will be missed, ” Griffin said.

The company served five applicants a week, a solid number for the area, according to officials. Most recently, Spartan staff members aided local workers affected by layoffs at the nearby Eaton Corp. plant.

Griffin said the Spartan Staffing closure was due to a company merger.

“They are doing a restructuring between two staffing stations, Resource Ready and Spartan Staffing. They are merging those two companies into a company called People Ready, and are consolidating everything to the Omaha area,” Griffin explained.

Other staffing support locations remain open in the area, including Hawkeye Staffing, just off  the downtown square in Red Oak. It’s unknown what will happen to the Spartan staff.“They did not share any details with me,” Griffin said.

Griffin said the news of the closure was a disappointment, as was the effect it will have on the staff members of Spartan now out of a job. At this point, he’s not sure what it will mean to Red Oak.

“I don’t know the impact at this point. There are still jobs available, so people can contact the other staffing company in town or use the Iowa Works office out of Creston to meet their needs.”