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Hallmark to temporarily shut down Lawrence and Leavnworth plants

By Staff Report - | Mar 21, 2020

The Hallmark Cards sign at the company's Lawrence manufacturing plant, 101 McDonald Drive, is pictured in this file photo.

One of Lawrence’s largest manufacturers is temporarily closing its plant as it tries to combat the spread of COVID-19. That means a Leavenworth plant also is temporarily closing.

Hallmark will shutter its Lawrence facility on Monday, the company announced in a news release Friday afternoon. The plant near the McDonald Drive interchange of the Kansas Turnpike produces the majority of greeting cards in North America for Hallmark.

The plant employs about 800 people in Lawrence. It generally has been considered the second-largest private employer in the city, ranking only behind the former General Dynamics call center facility at East Hills Business Park, which is now run by Maximus.

In the release, Hallmark said employees at the plant would receive additional paid time off totaling two weeks to help cover lost wages from the shutdown. Hallmark, however, did not specify how long the plant might be shut down. It indicated that it would be dependent upon how the virus situation evolves in coming days. The release didn’t specify whether employees would receive payments if the shutdown lasts longer than two weeks.

“The Hallmark COVID-19 task force is monitoring the rapidly evolving situation and utilizing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization and local public health and emergency response agencies,” the company said in a written statement.

In addition to the Lawrence plant, Kansas City, Mo.-based Hallmark is temporarily closing its Leavenworth plant that makes gift wrap and its Center, Texas, plant that makes store fixtures and displays.

The Leavenworth plant employs about 300 people.