Closure of Idahoan Foods plant causes uncertainty in Dubois

Closure of the Idahoan Foods plant that employed 22 percent of Clark County's labor force, causes uncertainty for the residents of the southeastern Idaho town of Dubois.

The shuttering of the Idahoan Foods plant on Oct. 22 eliminated 128 jobs from a plant that is six miles south of Dubois.

Drew Facer, Idahoan Foods' vice president of Retail Sales and Food Service, said the company decided to close the plant to consolidate its operations.

He said 91 of the employees stayed with the company by transferring to other plants. Facer said the company hasn't decided what to do with the building.

Even before the plant closing, many of downtown Dubois' businesses had been shuttered or vacant for years.

"For a small town, something like that can be devastating,"said Mike Ferguson, Idaho's chief economist.