News Lund boat and Crestliner,

[wildlifeminnesota]

Crestliner closing in Little Falls

Matt Perkins
Staff Writer

Weeks after the good news about Larson Boats was announced, the bad news hit about Crestliner.

Brunswick Corporation announced today that it will be closing its Crestliner Boat manufacturing facility in Little Falls this fall.

The company said it will gradually transfer the boating production in Little Falls to plants in New York Mills, Lebanon, Mo., and Fort Wayne, Ind. The Little Falls facility will decrease its production beginning in May, and is expected to completely close down sometime this fall.

"It's devastating," Little Falls Mayor Cathy VanRisseghem said. "Devastating for those who may lose their jobs and those who may have to leave town. It's devastating for the community."

Currently, Brunswick's Little Falls facility, which builds both Crestliner and Triton aluminum boats, employs 180 people. A year and a half ago, the company employed around 400.

Brunswick Chairman and CEO Dustan E. McCoy said that since 2007, when the global marine market entered into an extended downturn along with the nation's economy, the company has been restructuring to place its manufacturing footprint in line with consumer demand.

A footprint which was once based on manufacturing facilities dedicated to brands has shifted to plants which focus on "category-type" production.

"While consistent with our manufacturing strategy, such decisions are always difficult," McCoy said. "This decision does not reflect upon the Little Falls workforce or product, but it is the result of our overarching need to develop a more efficient manufacturing footprint that is appropriate to the marine marketplace, which has been under pressure for several years."

Morrison County Community Development Director Carol Anderson said she and the city extended financial assistance to Brunswick, but said the company had already made up its mind about leaving town.

"It's another loss for the community," Anderson said. "We had one saved here last week, and now we got a loss.

"We'll have to wait and see how it all plays out; see if someone else wants to come into town," she said.

Anderson said due to the size of the facility, it's not going to be easy to find a company that can fill the space considering the current economic climate.

VanRisseghem reluctantly agreed.

"Why new York Mills?" she asked. "This is a better building, the people there have been building Crestliner boats for years and it has a central location. It's hard to understand."

But community leaders have to move forward now, VanRisseghem said.

"We will aggressively seek a new business for this area," she said. "There's not a lot of moving going on right now, but that's not going to stop us. We'll do everything we can."

[Mayfly]

Tell them to stop making such crappy expensive boats maybe they would have higher sales and more money.

[Jdrummer]

Id say of the Presidents and CEOs stopped trying to shove millions into their pockets every year the "workin man " might still have a job. Has anyone priced out a new Fish Hawk within the last few years? They want 24k plus for a base model 17' Hawk. no trollin motor or decent electronics. I do love my Hawk tho! :fishing2: Just would never buy a new one.

[wildlifeminnesota]

  Of the employs that just loss there Job, 180 of them all together 400 of them in just that plant, It not the work man fault, the boats are crappy expensive boats, They are told to build them that way, I do know this I work at Lund for 15 year and they are down 60% of there employs that work there, If thing keep going Lund will be next!! they close one plant down 2 1/2 year ago, when Brunswick Corporation pay 27.5 millions dollars back for year ago I new then  Brunswick was going to do this but I thou lund would close a they would move lund in the Crestliner plant because they had the newer building, Brunswick had the fiberglass boats all tide up and they was losing millions dollars to the aluminum boats sale, This why they got these plans and the first thing they do is to try to come out with a fiberglass lund boat,   and they lost lot of money doing this the boat did not sale, the employs are pay the price by losing there jobs, As far as the Lund plant in mills use to have 700 employs now they are down to about 300 employs, That about 800 employs who loss there jobs in a small area there in Minnesota, If thing keep going we all will be fishing out of a roll boat or from shore. Then we all will not get so fat,   If you have to work for fish I   we mite not have lake that are full of boats,   as far as the Presidents and CEOs go this is what I   of them   as far as are President of the USA that gave are money to bail out the car plans so there CEO could take bones I   that was   and I hop they do not do the same thing with the boat plans, So what happen to those new jobs that are President was going to create, as millions of people right here are losings there Jobs,