The Goodyear tire plant in Fayetteville will close in 2027, and 1,700 people will lose their jobs.
The company said, "As the only remaining U.S.-based tire manufacturer, we are committed to U.S. manufacturing in today’s evolving market. After extensive efforts to make the Fayetteville, North Carolina, facility competitive, Goodyear is in discussions with the United Steelworkers to close the facility by the end of 2027. This difficult action is necessary to strengthen Goodyear’s ability to compete in today’s marketplace and support the long‑term health of the business."
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Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin said economic development officials informed him of the closure Tuesday morning.
"Certainly, this is concerning to all of us," Colvin said. "[the plant] has been a pillar of our community back when it was Kelly Springfield, and it's always been one of the, probably, top five or 10 employers for sure."
The city will now look at ways to help those workers find new jobs before the plant closes.
"What we need to do now is be very thoughtful," Colvin said. "They've given us a year or so to train and to plan as to how we can reactivate that site, that we can get those folks who were there, who may or may not, take the severance packages that live in our community, make sure they have jobs, and so we'll work with our community colleges and our workforce development and be very aggressive in getting them retrained."
