Butler Human Services Furniture to close Mecklenburg operations

Butler Human Services Furniture, which makes furniture for social service organizations such as group homes, plans to close its Mecklenburg County operations, with 51 employees losing their jobs, according to a notice sent to the state in compliance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.

A subsidiary of Ohio-based Sauder Manufacturing, Butler Human Services has two manufacturing and distribution facilities scheduled to close in Chase City: one at 239 B St. and another at 168 Duckworth Drive.

Those operations will be consolidated into operations in Stryker, Ohio, according to a press release from Sauder Manufacturing, which owns Butler. The consolidation will allow Sauder Manufacturing to “strengthen efficiency, ensure long-term stability and continue delivering the highest quality products and services to customers,” according to a news release.

The layoffs will occur in phases, with the first beginning Oct. 24. The facilities are expected to close by April 2026. The impacted employees do not have bumping rights and are not represented by a union.

“While this was not an easy decision, it is a necessary step to continue serving our customers at the high level of quality and reliability they expect from us,” Mark Graber, president of Sauder Manufacturing, said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful to our employees in Virginia for their dedication and contributions. Supporting them through this transition is our top priority.”

Butler Human Services Furniture also has a sales office near Richmond staffed by 8 employees, according to a Sauder Manufacturing spokesperson. Of those, three workers will be laid off “due to the realignment of leadership functions,” the spokesperson stated. 

The company, previously known as Butler Woodcrafters, was founded in 1980 in Chesterfield County. In 2014, Sauder Manufacturing acquired the business, which at that time had about 70 employees, with 10 at its main office in Midlothian and others working at a production plant in Chase City, according to news reports.

Sauder Manufacturing has five subsidiaries that make furniture for churches, courtrooms, higher education and other businesses. It is a subsidiary of Ohio-based Sauder Woodworking, which owns other businesses, including Sauder Building Products, a producer of professional grade laminate products for contractors.

Another Sauder Woodworking company, Progressive Furniture, which also is based in Ohio, is closing at the end of the year and laying off about 30 workers, according to a March article in Furniture Today. In the article, an executive of the company, which designs and imports wood bedroom, dining and accent furniture, attributed the closure to business conditions and the shuttering of a supplier in Mexico.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated.