Misty Harbor to close Iowa plant

Pontoon boat manufacturer Misty Harbor is closing its manufacturing plant in Iowa to consolidate operations at its headquarters in Indiana “to optimise operational efficiency and reduce logistical costs, the company announced Monday afternoon. 45 employees will lose their jobs.

“I would like to reassure customers that Misty Harbor’s products and services will not be impacted by this decision,” said Misty Harbor president Jeff Miller in a statement.

An exact closing date wasn’t announced, but operations will wind down over the next three months.

The company is working with Iowa Workforce Development to help employees find new jobs or training leading to mew jobs.

Dennis Plautz, the CEO of the Greater Dodge Growth Alliance, told the Messenger News that local leaders have had concerns about the company’s future in Iowa for several years.

“It was a company that we had identifed as being an at-risk company for the last several years,” he said.

According to the paper, the Growth Alliance wanted to visit company leaders in Indiana and conduct a supply chain analysis in an effort to help the company.

“We were not successful in getting management’s interest,” Plautz said.

Founded in Humboldt, Iowa in 1989, Misty Harbor was run for decades by the Wilson family, who sold in 2017 to an Indiana investment group led by John Jergens, Tom Christy and George Thomas.

Misty Harbor offers 50 different models of pontoon boats ranging from 14ft-26ft.