Simply Essentials’ last day Monday; job fair Aug. 13

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Come Monday, a major Charles City employer will be closing its doors for the last time. Simple Essentials is closing Aug. 5, and with that action more than 500 people will be losing their jobs.

Tim Fox, the executive director of the Charles City Area Development Corp., said little information has been coming out of the company.

A job fair is being held Tuesday, Aug. 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for employees of Simply Essentials, but anyone else is welcome to attend as well.

The job fair will be in the Charles City High School gymnasium. That is a change from the location previously announced.

The Simply Essentials property is owned by Pitman Family Farms, of Sanger, California, and Fox said the company has “not been very cooperative” with Iowa Workforce Development.

“They just were non-responsive,” Fox said. “That’s why we’re having the job fair after they’re closing.”
Fox, who plays a lead role in trying to attract new business to Charles City and Floyd County, said he has not had any direct contact from the company for help in marketing the plant to a new owner.

He said he was aware “peripherally” that the company was trying to sell the plant, through contacts that had been made from other people in the meat-packing or food-processing industry that had expressed interest in the property.

Fox said response to the job fair has been good. Kristle Percy of IowaWORKS, who is helping organize the fair, said eight businesses had signed up as of Wednesday, and that was before the fair had received much publicity.

Simply Essentials announced on June 6 that it would be closing on Aug. 5, permanently laying off 513 employees. Local and corporate company officials have not responded to several requests from the Press for comment on the decision to close.