By Katie Rogers, Truth Staff
krogers@etruth.com
As Monaco Coach prepares to lay off nearly 1,400 area employees this fall, its run as a major county employer will come to an abrupt end.
According to data compiled by the Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce, Monaco was ranked the fifth-largest employer in Elkhart County in 2007 with roughly 2,000 workers -- now, Elkhart Community Schools, with about 1,849 employees, will move into that spot.
Four of the top five employers in the county last year were RV manufacturers, with the largest, Forest River, reporting around 4,700 workers. Coachmen Industries, at 4,500 employees, ranked second (although the company downsized in January of this year and laid off an unknown number of workers in July). Keystone RV Co. was third largest, with 2,580 employees.
The only non-manufacturing employer in the top five was Elkhart General Hospital, ranked fourth, with 2,500 people on the payroll.
It's not surprising that the local economy will suffer with the loss of Monaco as a major employer, said Kyle Hannon, vice president of public policy for the Elkhart chamber.
"What you hope it means is that someone else picks up the slack," Hannon said. "But realistically what it means is that there will be some hardship felt in the community for a while."
It's a "sad, tragic" cycle the community goes through from time to time, Hannon added, and said that if there's any silver lining at all, it's the able workforce Monaco will leave behind.
"Somebody must be noticing that," Hannon said, "thinking of where they're going to locate their business."