No more cigarettes …
Wednesday, July 29, 2009 marked the end of an era in Cabarrus County. Cigarette giant Philip Morris closed its Concord factory which had been a major employer in the county since 1982. It was not a shocker though, Philip Morris announced its plans to close almost two years ago. It had originally planned to stay open through next year, but decided a few months back to close this summer.
Ironically, Philip Morris’ final day of production was one day short of the six-year anniversary of the abrupt closure of textile giant Pillowtex in Kannapolis (July 30, 2003). Many of the laid-off Pillowtex employees found jobs with Philip Morris only to be out of a job again six years later.
On the plus side, Philip Morris has been very good to its employees, handing out generous severance packages to many. Some employees were able to move to the company’s only remaining factory in Richmond.
About the image above, the company’s PR representative brought several employees out to the front gate to speak with us at the end of their shift. We were about to speak with Mary Kendall when Sharon Johnson pulled up in her truck and jumped out to hug her.
