ADM said it will provide severance pay and try to find jobs for its displaced workers in Keokuk.
A spokesperson from the food processor and commodities trading corporation said the company wants to find jobs for the 70 full-time employees who had worked at the ADM Milling Co. in Keokuk.
“We hope to find opportunities in other ADM facilities for as many of them as possible,” said ADM spokesperson Dane Lisser in a written statement.
“For those who do leave the company, there will be appropriate financial severance and we’ll be offering support to help them find other employment.”
The company closed its Keokuk plant at 2620 Henkel Road last week. Lisser said ADM determined that the plant “no longer aligns with our milling business’ future operations needs.”
Keokuk City Administrator Cole O’Donnell said the company did not give city leaders any notice of or reason for the closure.
The shutdown follows repeated environmental violations. The city has twice been cited this year for violations by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources due to untreated wastewater from the ADM plant that has overwhelmed the city water treatment system.
Lisser said ADM plans to sell the plant.
“We appreciate the cooperative relationship we’ve had with the city of Keokuk, and we look forward to continuing to work with them as we find a buyer for the facility,” Lisser said.
ADM is a global company with headquarters in Chicago. The company has operations throughout the western Illinois, southeastern Iowa, and northeastern Missouri, including locations in Bushnell, Quincy and Havana, Illinois; Burlington, Iowa and Novelty, Missouri.
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