Two local offices of national companies are scheduled to lay off a total of 167 employees within the next six months.
Met Life”™s home mortgage office on Corporate Boulevard in Newburgh is scheduled to close its doors July 31, laying off its 134 employees between its official closing date and the end of 2012.
Calls to David Hammarstrom in MetLife”™s media relations department were not returned by press time and no one in the office was available for comment.
Grubb & Ellis, one of the largest brokerage firms in the U.S., is in Chapter 11 and selling off the majority of its assets to BGC Partners, the parent company of real estate services company Newmark Knight Frank. One of its assets is a call center in Wappingers Falls, which employs 33 people, slated to close as a result of the bankruptcy.
Amanda Piwonka, senior vice president in charge of human resources at Grubb & Ellis”™ headquarters, did not return several calls for comment about the future of the Wappingers Falls call center, which continues to operate under an agreement BGC made with Grubb & Ellis until the company”™s bankruptcy is finalized.
BGC Partners”™ CEO and chairman is Cantor Fitzgerald”™s CEO Howard Lutnick; he is also BGC Partners”™ controlling shareholder.
