Meek's closes Poplar Bluff, Doniphan stores

Representatives for the Meek's company describe a decision to shutter two decades-old locations in Poplar Bluff and Doniphan as a consolidation.

Regardless of the terminology, for the 11 employees who arrived for work Monday, the businesses were simply closed. The doors were locked, apparently with no warning.

Meek's announced Monday it would shut down six locations in Missouri, impacting 20 employees.

The locations were previously identified by the Meek family as areas that did not justify the need for a separate location, said spokesperson Trent Waterhouse of Angeles Equity Partners, one of the California-based companies that now own Meek's. This was based on the volume of business and cost of operation, he said.

Advanced notice is just "not the way that things are handled," Waterhouse said, of the lack of warning to employees. National building supplier Lowe's also announced 51 closings that day, he said.

"We went out of our way to say thank you to all of the managers, supervisors and employees that have done nothing short of an outstanding job for the local customers there in Poplar Bluff," he said. "In other words, this is not a people decision. This was simply a business decision that the amount of business out of the locations did not justify the separate inventory and location costs associated with it."

Meek's will go out of its way to ensure a smooth transition over the next couple of weeks, said Waterhouse. Employees have been offered the option to transfer to another location, and are being "proactively referred" to Gamblin Lumber Company in Poplar Bluff.

Meek's has been open in Poplar Bluff since at least 1949, when it operated from the 400 block of Vine Street. By 1977, it had moved to the 1000 block of South Broadway. The location at 3051 N. Westwood was constructed in 1980, according to city documents. Meek's reports it had eight employees there.

Residents of Doniphan estimate the company has been in Ripley County for much longer. It currently had three employees.

It operated at 301 N. Grand Ave., across the street from Russell French's office of SEMO Insurance. French is the president of the board of the Ripley County Chamber of Commerce.

Signs went up Monday at the Doniphan location saying the closest Meek's would now be in West Plains, French said. Customers were instructed to begin mailing payments to that location.

"It's kind of frustrating. ... Even though this store may not have been a large store or had a lot of employees, it is nice for a business to give their employees and their community a little bit of a heads up that they're going to close," French said.

Doniphan has also lost its hospital in recent months, along with a heating and cooling company and Snappy Tomato Pizza, making this even harder, he said.

The closest lumber supplier for Doniphan residents is now in Poplar Bluff.

"I would say they contributed a lot to our local economy. Not only the jobs are going to be missed, but the sales tax and the convenience of the goods and services they provided our community," said French. "It is a blow to our community. We hate to see jobs lost, but there is a lot of opportunity here in Doniphan. We're optimistic that we'll find someone to fill that void."

Employees have been offered a retention incentive to stay with the company through the closing and severance, said Waterhouse.

Employees also started contacting customers immediately to discuss pending orders and ensure there were no delays, he said.

"None of the orders are being cancelled, we're just making sure what we see as open orders are what customers see as open orders," Waterhouse said.

It is never good to lose any business, said Steve Halter, president of the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce.

"Meek's supplied many customers with building materials for a long time. I feel horrible for the employees and pray they find new employment," he said.

Butler County has a low unemployment rate and many businesses searching for workers, he continued, as well as a job center to assist employees.

No information was available Wednesday concerning the future of the property in Doniphan and Poplar Bluff, Waterhouse said.

Meek's has 24 stores remaining in Missouri. Locations also closed Monday in Springfield, Greenfield, Saint Robert and Mountain Grove.

Meek's was acquired in September by the private investment firms Angeles Equity Partners and Clearlake Capital.