I reported this summer that Devcon Security, a Hollywood, Fla.-based super-regional, was planning to shut down its new 23,000-square-foot national operations center in Irving, Texas by the end of the year.
Now it appears the closing will take place next month. Devcon plans to close the facility Sept. 5, laying off 197 employees, according to a report this week by the Dallas Business Journal. The facility opened in February 2011.
CEO Steve Hafen previously told me that closing the center was part of a company plan to reduce expenses and strengthen the company’s finances for future profitability and growth.
The company also is closing branches nationwide, a reversal of a rapid expansion it had recently undergone. In the past 18 months, Devcon, acquired by San Francisco-based Golden Gate Capital in 2009, transformed itself into a national player with more than 50 branches around the nation.
Hafen previously told me: “Devcon has experienced many changes over the past 18 months, including an aggressive growth initiative and subsequent streamlining of some branch operations.” He said then a reduction in the company’s workforce was anticipated.
The business journal reported that Devcon issued a statement saying that it “has aimed to, and has already made progress on, helping displaced employees transition into new opportunities through job fairs and résumé assistance programs. Devcon Security believes that these changes, while challenging, will strengthen the company and enable more opportunities for those in the industry long term.”
