Closure Of Flexsteel Manufacturing Means Big Job Loss

Flexsteel Industries is closing its Dubuque manufacturing facility. On Wednesday morning, the company announced it will permanently close its facility on Seippel Road as soon as June. The closure will result in the loss of 213 jobs, including about 150 manufacturing positions. The other job cuts will impact corporate employees, engineers and support workers in Dubuque. The permanent job reductions will drop Flexsteel’s workforce in the city from about 350 workers to fewer than 140. In 2016, Flexsteel announced they soon would close their manufacturing facility on Jackson Street and emphasized that they would explore alternative options outside of Dubuque. But, the following spring, Flexsteel unveiled plans to invest $28 million in a new facility on Seippel Road. The project was supported by more than $10 million in incentives from local and state entities. Flexsteel officials temporarily shut down the Seippel Road plant on March 27, citing safety concerns and declining demand linked to COVID-19. While Flexsteel soon will leave the Seippel Road facility, the company’s corporate headquarters will remain in the Port of Dubuque.