Marquis Hot Tubs will close Independence manufacturing plant, lay off 115 employees
Marquis Hot Tubs will close its hot tub manufacturing facility in Independence in September, according to paperwork it filed with the state Thursday.
The hot tub manufacturer said in a letter it is laying off the 115 employees it has at its plant in north Independence on Hoffman Road.
On Thursday, Marquis Hot Tubs notified its employees that they will be laid off between Sept. 1 and 15.
Companies with more than 100 employees are required by the state to notify workers 60 days prior to closure and layoffs and file paperwork with the state about it.
Besides the manufacturing plant in Independence, the company also has retail locations in Salem, Beaverton and Happy Valley, but it did not say what will happen with them.
The company was founded by three farmers in Independence in 1980 who built hot tubs in a barn as Pacific Spas, according to a Statesman Journal story from 2013. It was rebranded as Pacific Marquis Spas in 1984 and sold to Wexco Inc. in 1985.
Wexco owner Don Weir sold the company to its employees in 1999, according to a story in Spa Retailer Magazine.
It employed more than 300 people in 2003, according to a story in the Statesman Journal at the time. It was one of the largest private employers in Polk County.
Private equity firm Monomoy Capital Partners purchased Marquis Hot Tubs in 2021 along with Las Vegas-based Artesian Spas. Monomoy also purchased Michigan-based Nordic Hot Tubs in 2022. Rick Gallagher was named the CEO of Marquis in 2022.
Marquis said it has made more than $6.8 million in hot tub donations and discounts to Make-A-Wish as of April 2022.
The company also gave a volleyball scholarship at Western Oregon and put on auctions to benefit the school’s athletic department.
Bill Poehler covers Marion and Polk County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Marquis Hot Tubs to close manufacturing plant in Oregon
