Gaston company shutting doors after losing Duke Energy contract

WSOCTV.com

GASTONIA, N.C. -- A company in Gastonia is closing its doors, leaving dozens of jobs up in the air.

The company, Utiliquest, is headquartered in Georgia, but has had a Gastonia location for several years. Company officials said

Jennifer Holland, who manages Fat Cat's Grill less than a mile from the company, said that when Utiliquest’s doors close, it will hurt her bottom line.

"A lot of the workers, they'll come in here and eat lunch, eat dinner and stuff, so I'm sure it's going to affect us," she said.

Gaston County Commissioner Tom Keigher said overall, it's been a good year for business, but this concerns him.

"Sixty-three jobs. That may not sound like that many, but there could be several hundred people affected by those jobs -- spouses, children," he said.

Utiliquest officials said they provided services for Duke Energy for several years, but that recently Duke Energy asked companies to re-bid for that contract and another service provider won.

They said they were working to try to place some of the employees in new positions within the company at other locations or with the new bid winner.

Utiliquest officials also said they have plans to offer severance pay to the people who do end up being laid off.

"Hopefully we'll be able to absorb those," Keigher said. "If not, I hope there are jobs in the surrounding counties."

Holland said she hopes the worker find new jobs quickly and continue to come by.

"Everyone's just trying to hold on," she said.

Eyewitness News asked Duke Energy about the new provider, but officials said they couldn't release the name. They said the move was a business decision and that the new contractor will perform the same services at a lower cost that benefits customers.