On Nov. 7, The W.C. Bunting Company suffered a fire at its East Liverpool, Ohio drinkware factory. The fire destroyed much of its production and shipping departments, and more than 30 Bunting employees are on layoff status. But due to other companies lending a hand, operations are still under way and some employees are still working.
According to a report by The East Liverpool Review, a small crew is still working at the family-owned business’ Wellsville, Ohio office, and others are working at American Mug and Stein—also based in East Liverpool—where they are firing and decorating products using its kilns and decorating equipment. The facility does not, however, have the ability to print decals.
Nearby Commercial Decal has printed several orders for Bunting, and two nearby potteries have allowed Bunting to “job out” its orders to them.
The Three Rivers Advertising Specialty Association (TRASA) board of directors, voted to send $35 gift cards to each Bunting employee to spend on a Thanksgiving dinner. Bunting’s vice president Patrick O’Hara is a former four-year member of the board. Word spread throughout the organization and members began to donate, and the gift card value increased to $88 each. A local church has also donated food baskets to employees.
O’Hara said that the future of the company is still cloudy, as the insurance company is still conducting its investigation into the cost of repairs. O’Hara said that once this process is complete, he and his brothers Tim and Terry will decide whether they will rebuild, relocate or build a new factory. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
For more information on W.C. Bunting, visit www.wcbunting.com.
