According to Chris Olberding, President of Sales of Gitman, the Tom James Company made the decision to close the Ashland factory and informed their employees on Tuesday.
Olberding said that the company reached this decision due to the declining economic factors brought about by the coronavirus pandemic and the overall decline in the business that has been created.
"Gitman has a long and proud history in Ashland and we are very sorry to be ending it." Olberding said.
After 88 years in Ashland, the company is moving production of the Gitman Bros. and Gitman Vintage shirt brands to our Measure Up shirt facility in Lafayette, TN.
The Ashland employees will complete 2020 fall/winter production over the next two to three months, before beginning spring/summer 2021 production at Measure Up.
All the employees of the Ashland Factory will be offered a position at one of three out-of-state facilities which include the Lafayette, TN facility, a facility in Westminster, MD, or a facility Perth Amboy, NJ.
Olberding said "Although most people don’t realize it, Measure Up began providing custom and made-to-order services for Gitman dating back to the early 1990’s, so the Gitman DNA already runs deep in Tennessee. We anticipate that this heritage, coupled with the relocation of many skilled sewers to Measure Up, will provide for a seamless transition."
"We are saddened at the closure of our Ashland factory after so many years. At the same time, we are positive about the opportunities that come from incorporating the production of the Gitman Bros. and Gitman Vintage shirt brands at Measure Up. We look forward to building these brands side by side for the long term future." Olberding said.
The company has been in Ashland since the 1930's and the current factory on Centre Street was built in 1965. A second facility was built across the street in the late 1990's.