The nation's oldest ladder manufacturer is in Ypsilanti, and it's folding. WEMU's Heather Irvine has more.
Operations have ceased and doors have shut at the Michigan Ladder Company after more than a century in Ypsilanti. President and owner Tom Harrison says that the pandemic shutdown was tough, but supply chain issues were the final rung in deciding to close.
"When you can't get materials in a timely manner to make a ladder, then I'm in the same situation I was in a year ago, which is I'll lose more customers."
The open letter posted to their website shares news of their closing and also their rich history.
"Very proud of the fact that, you know, here we are the oldest ladder manufacturer in the United States, founded in 1901 in Ypsilanti, and we're in our original location, and we use and occupy our original buildings, and it's just kind of a really great story in the community plays a big part of that."
This week represents the last wind-down before auctioning off equipment and the last bit of inventory.
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— Heather Irvine is a writer/reporter for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact her at 734.487.3363 or email her studio@wemu.org
