February 13, 2012

Emporia Weather

Currently Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri
33° Drizzle
Slight Chance Rain
Rain Likely
Partly Sunny
Mostly Sunny
Fog/Mist 33°
22° 		44°
33°		 49°
31°		 45°
27°		 49°
29°

Advertisement

Advertisement

Reader Poll

What should the City of Emporia do to improve Housing in Emporia

View all polls

Events

Search events

Comment history

Work moving to Ohio

The "45" that were laid off in March and April (or May?) were, at the time, temporary lay-offs. Meaning that when the business picked up they would be given the opportunity to come back to work. Unfortunately for those "45" great people and the latest group, of which I am a member, our prospects for any future employment at DDR-C are nothing short of grim.
The worst part about this is the false hope we were given by our management. However, they are not to blame. This was a surprise to all levels of personnel at DDR-C. False hope: Our last two quarters' sales were getting us into the green. We were making money. We were being a successful link in the DTNA chain. "Things are on the up-swing", we were told. DTNA and Freightliner executives, however, did not see it that way. They are taking the remanufacturing business away from the Emporia plant. Our facility has a long running reputation of being by far the strongest reman facility among the three. DDR East: Cambridge, OH, DDR West: Tooele, Utah, and DDR Central, Emporia, KS. We were given the work that the other facilities could not make successful and we made it successful. There are probably a combined 150 years of knowledge and experience leaving as a result of this decision by DTNA. DDRC - Emporia will be left building new 2-cycle diesel engines and components, and remanufactured Mopar 4.0 and Hemi warranty replacement products. Neither of which are profitable; and the 2-cycle diesel is becoming a dying breed, being out-performed by the more powerful and more effecient 4-cycle diesel.
I wish the very best to those who were laid off earlier this year and to my co-workers who will leave with me in the near future. I hope that those workers who will not be affected by this reduction do not take for granted that their jobs are safe now. Many of us speculate a dismal future for the Emporia Detroit Diesel Plant. Detroit Diesel is competition for Freightliner and DTNA. The best way to eliminate competition is to buy them and then dismantle them. Best of luck to all!

August 20, 2009 at 10:42 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Commission passes beer garden ordinance

To me Emporia can be compared to a nice boat - not a luxury yacht or houseboat, but not a rusty canoe - just a modestly nice boat stranded in the middle of the ocean with no way to get anywhere. Tax revenues are down. Yes, we've all tightened our belts a little bit so retail is affected. I know I for one have found the advantage of buying in bulk so I make the quick trip to Topeka to go to Sam's and usually end up giving Topeka and/or Shawnee Co. the tax dollars that Emporia isn't getting because our commission seems to think that they are the fathers of a daughter who is of age and ready to start dating, only daddy(s) doesn't want the girl to know that there is life beyond the walls of what she has always known as home. There are so many companies that show interest in coming to Emporia, which would help sales tax revenues in two ways. Sales = tax$$$. Companies = jobs = spending money= tax$$$. Plus a little more dining and retail variety in this town might lure more travelers to stop, and could draw in more of the surrounding counties' residents who currently commute to Topeka, Manhattan, Wichita and Kansas City to shop. But the commission sits on their thumbs for too long considering the zoning and the morality and the God knows what concerning something new coming into this town, so by the time they do decide it's okay, the something new has moved on down the road. Shop Emporia first? Gimme more places to shop at!

July 1, 2009 at 10:20 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Advertisements