One of Orange County's largest employers will be closing its doors in February. Paoli Inc. makes office furniture and has for decades.
Over the last few years, the plant has laid off workers in stages, leaving 120 workers left at its Orleans facility. At one point, the plant employed around a thousand workers.
The news of the closing came earlier in December.
Orleans Town Clerk and Treasurer Robert Henderson says the announcement took him and others by surprise.
"Well, it came right here at the end of the year at Christmas time, couldn't come at a worse time, the news," Henderson says. "Many of the individuals who worked there were long time employees."
Henderson says he is optimistic that a new buyer will purchase the plant and bring manufacturing jobs back to Orange County.