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COVID Closes 40-Year-Old Steel Plant

The pandemic "created an unanticipated and unsustainable situation."

Cives Steel has made steel structures in Thomasville, Ga., for 39 years. Last week, the plant shut down and 100 employees lost their jobs.

Company president Greg Orff told the Thomasville Times-Enterprise that only 18 workers remain onboard to close up shop. Orff says the COVID-19 pandemic "created an unanticipated and unsustainable situation in what was already a difficult geographic market."

When the plant turns off the lights for the final time, about 130 people will be out of work. 

The Georgia Department of Labor is organizing a virtual job fair for former employees.

Cives Steel still has seven locations spread throughout the U.S.

The company is one of the largest structural steel and plate fabricators in North America. It has had a role in many projects across the U.S., including GM's new electric Hummer facility and Salesforce Tower in Chicago.

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