A global supply chain company that operates in Harford County plans to close a distribution center in Aberdeen and lay off 176 workers.
GXO Logistics will shut down its facility on Chelsea Road by the end of September, the Connecticut-based company said in a notice to the Maryland Department of Labor.
The company, which has benefitted from growth in ecommerce and customers’ desire to outsource distribution functions, offered no reason for the closure.
“We’re ceasing operations at one of our sites in Aberdeen,” the company said in an emailed statement. “For impacted employees, they will have the opportunity to transfer to other nearby GXO sites that serve other customers.”
The company declined to provide details about other locations it says it runs in the area.
GXO was recognized a year ago as an employer committed to work opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Arc Northern Chesapeake Region gave the Aberdeen facility an Employer of the Year Award, citing the center’s inclusive workplace policies.
GXO had hired three employees from The Arc in 2020 and added another in 2021 to work as material handlers, working in carton forming, replenishment and inbound/receiving.
The organization on Monday said it now has more than 200 people trained in employment situations throughout Harford and Cecil counties, including six who work at GXO’s Aberdeen facility.
“We are optimistic we can find new employment opportunities for the skilled employees who have already received training,” said Shawn Kros, president and CEO of The Arc NCR, in an email Monday. “We have very supportive employers in the community, including GXO, who recognize the tremendous value offered through The Arc NCR’s training programs.”
Maryclaire Hammond, chief human resources officer of GXO, told The Sun in July 2022 that the company had planned to expand its involvement with ARC to other sites and other ARC chapters in Maryland and throughout the U.S.
The company, with $9 billion in sales last year, employs 130,000 people at hundreds of warehouses in 27 countries. About a quarter of all Fortune 100 companies are GXO customers, the company said.
