Fulton brick factory to temporarily close down

The Harbinson Walker brick plant in Fulton will be temporarily closing its doors sometime in October, company officials said.
The Harbinson Walker brick plant in Fulton will be temporarily closing its doors sometime in October, company officials said.

One Fulton factory rich with history will soon be closing its doors until business conditions improve.

Harbinson Walker International spokesperson Judy Weisseg confirmed Tuesday the brick factory on St. Eunice Drive will be closing on a temporary basis in the next 60 days.

"We are not permanently closing the facility at this time," she said. "What we are doing is curtailing operations. At this point, business conditions are such that we need to temporarily stop operations."

The closing is expected to eliminate around 85 positions. The company is working with the United Steel Workers union to provide employees with guidance during the temporary layoff, Weisseg said. However, the future of the plant remains unclear, she added.

"At this point, because it's not clear, there have been no definitive decisions," she said. "We're required under federal law to provide 60 days' notice for possible closing, and we are complying with that."

The closing, Weisseg said, is the result of falling production and an evolving industrial material market.

"I don't think Harbison is unique in this situation," she said. "We serve the steel, gas, oil and aluminum industries. The industries we serve are being impacted by the economy, so we are impacted as well."

Bruce Hackmann, economic development director for the Callaway County Chamber of Commerce, hopes the emphasis of the closing remains on the possibility of the plant returning to full operations.

"These types of things happen when the volume of business drops," he said. "This is the decision the company has made. We like the emphasis on temporary, and we hope the closing remains temporary."

Hackmann said during his time in the county, he has only seen the closing of a major plant in Fulton once.

"We've had one company that closed permanently, and that was Stride Rite shoe
company in the early '90s," he said. "We were able to work with the state government to find jobs for the people displaced in that closing. We certainly hope, if this plant closes permanently, that's the case here."

The county currently is home to several industries on a hiring upswing, Hackmann said.

"In this county we have about six industries that are in hiring mode," he added. "It's a sign that manufacturing is in a good place. One of those companies is expected to announce a very significant expansion shortly."

The plant was originally founded by H.K. Porter but was eventually bought out by Allen Percival "A.P." Green, of Mexico.

Green was an entrepreneur and philanthropist who made a career out of producing refractory products. The bricks produced in the Fulton factory were contributors during one of the greatest growth periods in the country, Huddleston said.

"Green was a big deal in Audrain County and Mexico," she said. "They had a lot of money and contributed a lot of money to the community."

According to the State Historical Society of Missouri, Green's refractory products played a big role in the world wars, and ships and submarines used the products to line the inside of the vessels.

His work wasn't limited to brick production, but he and his wife, Josephine, were active in giving charitable donations to Fulton and the surrounding communities. Green even sat on the board of trustees at Westminster College.

According to Barb Huddleston of the Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society, the brick factory in Fulton was one of the main influencers on the local economy for many years.

"The brick industry was a major employer for both whites and blacks," she said. "A lot of high schoolers worked summers there and then went on to work at the plant."

The factory was eventually bought by the current owner, Harbinson Walker International. The factory is one of 17 locations in the U.S. owned by the company. They also manage plants in Canada and Mexico.

However, the Green family also continued to have influence on the state for years to come, Huddleston said.

"Kit Bond, former governor of Missouri, was a member of the Green family," she said. "The Green compound, where all the family lived, is now a public park in Mexico."

Larry Clark, who retired last year from the plant, said the temporary closing was not too surprising.

"I always joked with them and said ever since I left it'd gone downhill," he said. "I've seen over the last few years the fire brick business is a dying business. It's surprising, yet it's not surprising."

The longevity of the company, Clark said, is the suprising part.

"It's amazed me that it's been as good as it has been," he said. "Nothing is going to keep everything open. They can't keep it open if it's not making money."

The industry downturn could be a result of the U.S. steel companies cutting down on their own production, Clark said.

"I'm sure it starts with the steel companies," he added. "Everything in the U.S. is just about closed down, and you have to depend on foreign steel."

The temporary absence of the brick plant, Clark said, will be felt in the community.

"It's going to impact Fulton," he said. "To what extent, I'm not sure."