One of Macedon, Wayne County's largest companies is laying off dozens of employees.

Macedon Town Supervisor Bill Hammond said he understands that big, international companies need to make tough decisions to remain competitive. He is just worried for those who will now, lose their jobs.

Bill Hammond said the town didn't get a chance to talk to ExxonMobil Chemical about the layoffs and is hoping for the best for those employees who will be out of work.

"I certainly hate to see anyone lose their job. That's very tough. We'll do everything we can. I know Wayne County through workforce development. There are benefits available ... whatever these folks need. We hope that the company will find them positions within the company," said Hammond.

In a statement, ExxonMobil Public Affairs Advisor Jeff Neu said that in January of this year, it announced there would be consolidation and organizational changes to the company's Films business.

For the Macedon plant, that means 35 layoffs. The company said it is working to find opportunities for some of those employees at other Exxon locations.

In that statement, Neu explains: "The Films industry has been suffering from over-capacity, unprecedented high raw material costs and volatility which have led to strong market pressure on margins. The level of competition has been steadily increasing..."

Neu also said ExxonMobil has been in Macedon for 40 years, employs 150 workers, and that there is nothing else to announce.

While these cuts aren't massive, for Macedon they mean something. ExxonMobil and Pliant, down the road, are the town's biggest companies.

Hammond said they count on those employers and are always working hard to bring in new opportunities.

"I think we've got great potential. It's getting over this recession. Until this recession, we were doing very well. We attracted Walmart and Lowes and there were some other folks looking at Macedon at the time. Since the recession, people who pulled back their willingness to spend are taking a wait and see attitude," Hammond added.

Just like many other communities in our area, Macedon is hoping that when things do pick up again, some of those who were interested before, will be back and looking to invest.

Exxon said there is no timeline for those layoffs.

ExxonMobil Chemical