Hundreds of employees affected by closure of KDC/One in Lynchburg

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WDBJ) - The Lynchburg location of a beauty/home care item manufacturer will be closed by the end of 2023, according to the company, affecting about 670 employees.

KDC/One in Lynchburg will be shut down in phases in the next 18 months, according to Vice President Michael Salzillo, who says the company will try to transfer as many employees as possible.

Salzillo says the closure is because the Lynchburg operation is no longer competitive in the marketplace, with the demands of the market outpacing the evolution and capabilities of the property.

A 2021 Old Dominion University State of the Commonwealth report shows Lynchburg has among the lowest economic growth in Virginia. Lynchburg Councilmember Chris Faraldi says the city council needs to act now.

“And ultimately, I think it’s incumbent for us upon city council, as leaders to the city, to look at us and see did we enable this in any way,” said Faraldi.

Virginia Career Works Executive Director Traci Blido says she thinks this is an opportunity for the city.

“The way I see this is that this is a facility that will become vacant. And it’s a prime opportunity for the office of economic development here in Lynchburg to work with prospects and show them that building,” explained Blido.

Regarding the fate of employees, Salzillo says, “Our employees are our number one priority in all of this. We have a comprehensive program in place to ensure staff is incentivized to stay if needed. We also have skills training and placement assistance services available to ensure a smooth transition for our employees. We have engaged the Rapid Response program offered through the state and will be sharing information on the FastForward program as well and are in close contact with Career Works.”

Virginia Career Works says it was contacted by the company to help provide support for employees.

“We’re in close contact with our big businesses in this region that offer jobs and we learned through them that they would be closing the business,” added Bildo. “So, we have plenty of time to work with their employees to find new jobs.”

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