2/24/14 - Despite recent assurances from the owner that his company was not in jeopardy, Liquid Manufacturing has been closed and its employees laid off. On Wednesday, the building and property of the Green Oak beverage producer were foreclosed and sold at auction for $3.25 million. Liquid Manufacturing has faced numerous lawsuits in recent years, including ongoing litigation with Green Oak Township. Officials claim the business was responsible for numerous building, fire, and sewer code violations, and more than $600,000 in unpaid taxes and fines. Officials plan to recover this money by putting liens on the property, which they do not expect to be reopened in the near future. According to Liquid Manufacturingâs former Sanitation Supervisor Joshua Stout, employees were assured that all was well with the company until Friday, two days after the foreclosure, when they were told they had been laid off. Nonetheless, Stout says many of them suspected something was up. Former Head Brewer Peter Fras tells WHMI he has worked for Liquid Manufacturing for three and a half years, and there have been signs of trouble for quite a while now, including checks being floated to suppliers, resources being shifted between clients, and direct deposit paychecks being canceled because the company could not maintain the account balance necessary for the service. Fras says several employees are also owed money by Liquid Manufacturing, since the layoffs came in the middle of a pay period and no final paychecks were issued. Stout says the company told employees that it will not be paying them, and that the obligation had passed to the propertyâs new owners. (TD)
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