Ebonite International, the bowling ball manufacturer and one of Hopkinsville’s oldest industries, is closing following the company’s acquisition by Brunswick, several sources confirmed Friday.
The company employed about 170 workers at its plant off West Seventh Street. Tribble told WKMS 110 hourly workers and 61 salaried employees will be laid off, with most employees receiving severance pay until January 13.
“It’s a shock. I mean, I had no idea they were even considering selling,” Christian County Judge-Executive Steve Tribble told WKMS, the public radio station at Murray State University. “Of course, that’s one of our claims to fame has been that more bowling balls are made here than any place in the world…now all of these folks are going to be looking for work.”
“Regretfully, the Workforce Board is aware of the Ebonite closure that occurred today,” the West Kentucky Workforce Investment Board announced in a Facebook post.
An online trade publication reported production of Ebonite bowling balls will moved to a Brunswick plant in Reynosa, Mexico.
“Brunswick secured all the assets of EBI, including all of its brands, trademarks and technologies,” Flobowling reported.
Brunswick Director of Marketing Bugsy Kelly told FloBowling, “We’re still working on plans. We have about two or three weeks of working on what this really means for Brunswick. As far as Ebonite’s pro staff goes, everyone has been retained.”
Ebonite’s Hopkinsville plant opened in 1967.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
