ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Tuesday, May 7, 1996                   TAG: 9605070036
SECTION: BUSINESS                 PAGE: C-7  EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MATT CHITTUM STAFF WRITER 

LIMESTONE COMPANY LAYS OFF 16 WORKERS

James River Limestone Co. has laid off 16 of 101 employees at its Buchanan plant. The company is one of the town's largest employers.

Both administrative and manufacturing workers lost their jobs, according to a company statement this week.

The layoffs were prompted by the loss of a major contract to a competitor, the release said.

The company called the contract loss "temporary," but did not say if the layoffs were temporary. Calls to James River President Jerry McArthur were not returned.

James River opened a bagging facility in Buchanan in 1994, which brought its total employment in Buchanan to about 160 at the time. The 28-year-old company operates six plants in Virginia. It is 41 percent employee-owned.

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