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Keen quietly closed its Portland factory
BUSINESS
Keen quietly closed its Portland factory
Updated: May. 20, 2025, 5:04 p.m. | Published: May. 20, 2025, 10:20 a.m.
Keen opened the Portland factory in 2011. (File photo) Jamie Francis | The Oregonian/OregonLive
By Matthew Kish | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Keen Footwear quietly closed its Portland factory last month as it prepared to open a larger facility in Kentucky. … A spokesperson said the company’s headquarters will remain in Portland but declined to say how many jobs were eliminated when the Portland factory closed. … The spokesperson said some workers relocated to Kentucky and others received severance packages that included extended healthcare.
After President Donald Trump announced new tariffs in April, The Oregonian/OregonLive asked Keen for a tour of the factory, given the renewed interest in domestic manufacturing. A spokesperson this month said the company was “not providing facility tours at this time, but we will certainly circle back once we can bring you in.”
The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday reported on the closure of the Portland factory and the new Kentucky facility, which is 60,000 square feet and double the size of the Portland plant.
The spokesperson said the new factory is closer to some of Keen’s main suppliers and its U.S. distribution center and will let the company reach 80% of its U.S. consumers within two days through ground shipping.
{snip}
Keen quietly closed its Portland factory
Updated: May. 20, 2025, 5:04 p.m. | Published: May. 20, 2025, 10:20 a.m.
Keen opened the Portland factory in 2011. (File photo) Jamie Francis | The Oregonian/OregonLive
By Matthew Kish | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Keen Footwear quietly closed its Portland factory last month as it prepared to open a larger facility in Kentucky. … A spokesperson said the company’s headquarters will remain in Portland but declined to say how many jobs were eliminated when the Portland factory closed. … The spokesperson said some workers relocated to Kentucky and others received severance packages that included extended healthcare.
After President Donald Trump announced new tariffs in April, The Oregonian/OregonLive asked Keen for a tour of the factory, given the renewed interest in domestic manufacturing. A spokesperson this month said the company was “not providing facility tours at this time, but we will certainly circle back once we can bring you in.”
The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday reported on the closure of the Portland factory and the new Kentucky facility, which is 60,000 square feet and double the size of the Portland plant.
The spokesperson said the new factory is closer to some of Keen’s main suppliers and its U.S. distribution center and will let the company reach 80% of its U.S. consumers within two days through ground shipping.
{snip}