89 Jobs Hang In The Balance As MN Greenhouse Pushes Back Closure

STEELE COUNTY, MN — Revol Greens has postponed the planned closure of its Medford greenhouse while it works to finalize a transaction that could keep the facility running, according to an updated notice released by the state.

The lettuce grower filed a supplemental Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice with Minnesota's State Rapid Response Team, updating its original notice from Aug. 5.

That filing said the company could close the greenhouse at 2781 50th St. NW and lay off about 89 workers on Oct. 4 if it was not sold or did not secure more funding.

The closure and layoffs are now on hold. If the company's efforts to complete the transaction fail, the closure is expected during a two-week window from Oct. 15 to Oct. 29, according to the updated notice.

The notice does not identify the other party in the potential transaction.

Affected positions span the entire operation, including greenhouse, harvest and packhouse workers, growers, maintenance and sanitation staff, food safety specialists, delivery drivers and managers. Employees are not represented by a union.

Mee Yang, a senior specialist with the State Rapid Response Team, is leading the state's assessment. Workers with questions can contact the Minnesota Dislocated Worker Program at deed.dw@state.mn.us or 651-259-7537.

Revol Greens first warned of the possible closure in August, citing declining sales, as a multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to lettuce weighed on demand for greens.

The company has not been named in connection with the outbreak.

A company spokesperson told the Steele County Times in August that the original notice was issued as a precaution while Revol pursued financing and evaluated other options.

Revol Greens opened its first Minnesota greenhouse in 2017.