Hatteras Yachts shutting down

SWANSBORO - Onslow County is losing more than 200 jobs.

Over the next several months, Hatteras Yachts will move its production from its Swansboro plant to its larger facility in New Bern, according to a company announcement Thursday.

"Everybody was shocked," said Toshia Rister, 20, who builds cabinets at the plant.

She and her fiance both work at Hatteras Yachts, and they just bought a new home.

Now they will both be losing their jobs.

Rister, who has woked there for just over a year, said she was told her last day will be March 28.

"A couple of people are looking for jobs," said Rister, noting that some of her coworkers left early to start their job hunt not long after the announcement was made to workers.

Dan Kubera, spokesperson for Brunswick Corporation, the parent company for Hatteras Yachts, said the moving of the plant's production was not made lightly.

"(The company) realized it could accommodate its capacity into a single plant," he said. "It is not necessarily a reflection on the Swansboro plant or its workers."

A representative from the human resources department at the Swansboro location did not return a call for comment.

The press release stated that more than 200 positions will be eliminated at the Swansboro plant, but Kubera said that depending on the individual's skill set, they may have the opportunity to transfer to the New Bern plant or the Brunswick Boat Group plant in Navassa.

The Swansboro site will be available for other manufacturing within the Brunswick company, Kubera said. However, details of when the plant will reopen were not available.

Jim Reichardt, Onslow County Economic Development executive director, said he was shocked Hatteras Yachts was moving its production out of the area.

"I hope that since they plan on keeping the facility open that they utilize the employees," he said. "That may be the only silver lining to the cloud."

Just last year, the Committee of 100, a group of business owners who are vested in the growth of Onslow County, gave Hatteras Yachts in Swansboro an award for longevity and upcoming expansions.

"We have been very proud of (Hatteras Yachts') performance and, as of last year, (Hatteras Yachts) was in an expansion mode," Reichardt said. "We thought we were in the clear at the beginning of the year, but they decided to move things around."

Delma Collins, an Onslow County commissioner, caught wind of the news and said he hopes many of the people will have at least the opportunity to work in the New Bern plant.

"I am concerned, as a commissioner, for the loss of jobs and the closing of a business in our county," he said. "Sometimes good things come out of reorganization, and I hope it becomes a positive thing."

Hatteras Yachts in Swansboro came into business in September 2005 when the Brunswick Boat Group bought out Tiara Yachts in Bear Creek. Tiara Yachts was a Michigan-based company that was having economic troubles when Brunswick Corporation stepped in.

Corporate officials said at the time they were excited about acquiring the land in Swansboro because of the benefits the site offered, including access to deep water and proximity to New Bern.

Contact Heather Gale at hgale@freedomenc.com or 910-353-1171, ext. 8464.