KETTERING — A call center in Kettering is set to close later this year in a move that will result in over 100 layoffs.
VS Direct Fulfillment, LLC will begin a mass layoff of 120 workers at its facility on Bigger Road on or about March 16, according to a letter sent by Melinda McAfee, the company’s chief human resource and chief legal officer, to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services on Jan. 12.
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“The mass layoff is expected to be permanent,” McAfee wrote.
Layoffs are expected to begin March 16 and will be completed by Aug. 3, 2024.
The majority of the associates impacted by the layoffs are customer care specialists.
New Center 7′s John Bedell spoke to two people who see the facility on Bigger Road every day. They said it used to be full.
“I see security more than I see anybody else,” Jackie Porter, of Dayton, said.
Kettering City Manager Matt Greeson said his “heart certainly goes” to the workers involved with the layoffs.
“Because when they did work at the Bigger Road location pre-pandemic, we certainly found them to be valuable community partners,” Greeson said.
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When Covid-19 hit in 2020, the workers there went remote, working for the call center from home.
The city of Kettering told News Center 7 that it felt the financial impact of that move through lost income taxes starting in 2022.
Greeson also said the layoffs won’t have a significant impact on the city and that Kettering’s focus for the property is partnering with a commercial real estate group for the site to redevelop it.
“It’s a, I think, a great candidate for occupancy of a great new business here in Kettering,” he said.
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