The Electrolux announcement that the company will move 700 jobs out of Webster City has hit hard, but acting city manager Kent Harfst says the impact reverberates beyond the town’s borders. He says most people don’t realize that the third largest employer for Fort Dodge is Electrolux in Webster city. So Harfst says it has a direct impact in a 30 to 40 mile radius and they’ll have to go to work to try and keep the employees in the area.
Harfst says it’ll take a big effort by everyone to find a way to keep those who’re losing their jobs from moving away. Harfst says they have to come together to talk about what they’re going to do so it doesn’t have such a devastating impact and what they’re going to do to keep the employees in the area. He says they also need to talk about what they would do if there would be more jobs lost.
Harfst says it’s a tough blow, but he says the community has to remain positive. He says, “While it’s sad news, it probably doesn’t come as a real big surprise. And uh, we just move forward that we have to have people realize that Webster City is still a real great place to live.”