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Pottstown is facing the loss of one of its largest employers and a staple of the area's business district. Officials of Mrs. Smith's Bakery of Pennsylvania recently announced that they were moving the company's pie-making operation to Stilwell, Okla., where the company has a large on-site frozen distribution center. The move should be complete by the end of the year, and will mean the loss of 330 jobs in Pottstown.
Mike Krick, president of Mrs. Smith's, says the decision to move was very difficult given the company's roots and history in Pottstown. The operation began in the borough 100 years ago when Amanda Smith made and sold her homemade pies at the YMCA and on street corners.
However, Krick says, the company can better serve its customers and growth markets from its distribution center in Stilwell. These markets include the southeast, southwest, west and northwest parts of the country, says Mary Krier, a spokesperson for Flowers Industries, which is Mrs. Smith's parent company. Flowers is based in Thomasville, Ga.
Krick says that moving operations to Stilwell will ensure the frozen dessert maker's ongoing success.
"We are proud of our history in Pottstown, and we have always appreciated the support this community has given us," he says. "But our business and consumer demands are changing, and we have to change as well."
More than jobs lost
Meanwhile, Pottstown is facing the loss of not only more than 300 jobs but also $174,000 in earned income taxes, that is shared by the borough, surrounding townships and the school district.
Another concern, says Dale P. Mahle, president of the Tri-County Area Chamber of Commerce, is what will eventually become of the 13.5 acres in the borough on which the frozen desserts and specialty breads producer's plant sits.
The company...