Schwebel’s to Close Solon Bakery in May

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — The Schwebel Baking Co. announced Monday plans to close its bakery in Solon in May.

The closure is a “strategic decision in order to meet customer demand and remain competitive in the marketplace,” and to focus on a core group of products and customers, the company stated in a release.

The bakery employs 204 and is one of three operated by the company, with the others in Youngstown and Hebron, where production will be consolidated.

Schwebel’s closed its plant in Cuyahoga Falls in 2013 and shifted some of the production there to its Solon plant.

“Decisions like this are always difficult and not easy,” said Lori Mickholtzick, the company’s director of human resources. “The employees in Solon will be given the opportunity to apply for jobs that are open in its other manufacturing and distribution facilities.”

Outplacement assistance is available to help affected employees in their job search, she said.

Schwebel’s closed its bakery outlet stores in Austintown and Warren in January, and its outlet in Meadville, Pa., in November.

The company, founded in 1906 by Joseph and Dora Schwebel, employs more than 1,200 at its Ohio bakeries as well as distribution centers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.