Rochester confirms layoffs at local facility

Rochester Wire & Cable has joined a growing list of Culpeper-area businesses forced to lay off employees due to the economy.

Mike Ratcliff, spokesman for parent company Tyco Electronics, confirmed that an unspecified number of employees at the Culpeper facility were let go June 11.

“We did announce to employees at Culpeper that we were going to be reducing the workforce there,” Ratcliff said.

About 150 people work at the Culpeper site, according to recently published state and federal information. Ratcliff said the company does not disclose specific figures on employment or layoffs.

The company’s 400,000 square-foot facility is located on Old Brandy Road, specializing in electric, fiber optic and undersea cables.

Ratcliff said the reductions were effective immediately and did not disclose severance terms for the affected employees.

“Basically, it’s due to reduction in demand for products,” he continued, adding that Tyco, like many other companies nationwide, is suffering due to the economic climate.

“Back in late fall when we started downsizing, we were forecasting a 16 to 19 percent reduction in sales, and that certainly came to pass. Sales have continued to be soft.”

Ratcliff said there are no plans to further reduce the company’s work force in Culpeper but added that Tyco would continue to monitor the demand for its products and adjust accordingly.

Rochester was among the area’s top 20 employers, according to a 2008 report from the Virginia Employment Commission. In 2001, the company announced a $10 million expansion to the Culpeper manufacturing operation, adding 35 jobs.

Substantial layoffs have also hit many area employers in the last year including Merillat, Continental Teves, Structural Systems, Builder’s First Source, Luck Stone and Klockner Pentaplast in Gordonsville, among others.

Peter Mocarski, manager of Culpeper’s VEC office, expressed confidence that Culpeper will survive this economic crisis with most of the area’s familiar businesses and industries intact.

“The types of industries that we have here are going to recover and come back,” Mocarski said, referring to the area’s building-related industries. That, he said, sets Culpeper apart from other communities where manufacturing and textiles dominated.

“This winter we hit the worst part of what’s going to hit Culpeper and the surrounding area,” he continued. “It took us a while to get to where we are, and it’ll take us a while to get back.”