Tough economic times forced layoffs at a Rogers architecture firm Thursday.
A spokesman for Benchmark Group, an architecture and engineering firm, says a slowdown in workload and economic conditions forced multiple layoffs, but would not elaborate.
Stephen Varner, who was one of the employees let go Thursday says twenty six people lost their jobs.
"The majority of the people had been there a long time," he says.
Thursday marked the electrical designer's 30th year working for the company, but instead of a cake, Varner got canned.
"You're no longer working at Benchmark Group," he says, looking at the letter he received Thursday. "That's my fanfare, 'Thanks for thirty years, bye.'"
Now he isn't sure how he will make his house payments.
"When it catches you off guard you really don't have a plan," he says. "Being 61 it's kind of hard to find another job that's gonna be anywhere comparable to what you had."
But he says he'll make do, even if it means selling off a few toys.
"I'm not going to let it get me down," Varner says. "I'm thankful for the thirty years that I got there, but I think it could have been a little better on the exit."
A spokesman for Benchmark Group, an architecture and engineering firm, says a slowdown in workload and economic conditions forced multiple layoffs, but would not elaborate.
Stephen Varner, who was one of the employees let go Thursday says twenty six people lost their jobs.
"The majority of the people had been there a long time," he says.
Thursday marked the electrical designer's 30th year working for the company, but instead of a cake, Varner got canned.
"You're no longer working at Benchmark Group," he says, looking at the letter he received Thursday. "That's my fanfare, 'Thanks for thirty years, bye.'"
Now he isn't sure how he will make his house payments.
"When it catches you off guard you really don't have a plan," he says. "Being 61 it's kind of hard to find another job that's gonna be anywhere comparable to what you had."
But he says he'll make do, even if it means selling off a few toys.
"I'm not going to let it get me down," Varner says. "I'm thankful for the thirty years that I got there, but I think it could have been a little better on the exit."
