FreightCar America Closing Shoals Facility

About 600 people will be out of a job by February now that FreightCar America is closing its plant in Colbert County due to the coronavirus.

Cases each day.

New at six -- freight-car america is closing it's plant in colbert county due to the coronavirus.

About 600 people will be out of a job by february.

Waay31's breken terry spoke with the colbert county commission chairman on the impacts this will have on the county.

Commission chairman jimmy gardiner said losing this plant and hundreds of jobs is a blow to the county but he's positive they can get another manufacturer in here.

Gardiner- we have high hopes that we can recover and get something better in there.

The facility builds freightcars for railroads.

The company said it's closing the colbert county plant because of low demand and the, "realities of covid-19".

I asked county commission chairman jimmy gardiner how this will impact the county's tax revenue?

He told me it's not clear- but anytime a huge business leaves it's not good.

Gardiner- it came down to a money situation.

They just weren't making money and decided to leave.

I think moving a lot of operations to mexico and unfortunately cheaper labor.

Gardiner also said the county's working with the shoals economic development authority to find another business to take freightcars place.

But there's no timeline for a replacement.

Gardiner- people are looking at the facility and of course they aren't at liberty to share that information of what company but i think it does look promising.

Freightcar said a majority of the layoffs will be done by december 2020.

In colbert co bt waay31.

> we are working to learn if freightcar america received any tax incentives to open in the shoals about 12 years ago.

And what