Bass Pro Slashes Manufacturing Jobs, Citing Inflation; Tracker Marine In Lebanon Hit Hard

Bass Pro laid off around 100 workers at its manufacturing plants this year, primarily at Tracker Marine in Lebanon. One of the employees who was laid-off said the firings came out of the blue.

Bass Pro's marine manufacturing division, White River Marine Group, manufactures and distributes Tracker, among others like Ranger and Tahoe. In April, KY3 reported that 85 employees were let go at the Lebanon location because of a downturn in product sales. That was followed by another round of layoffs in August.

"As you probably are aware, the current economic environment is very challenging for many sectors of the economy, including automotive, powersports and agriculture," said the group in a statement. "Inflationary pressures coupled with a dramatic increase in interest rates are contributing to a downturn in the economy, creating stiff headwinds in the recreational boating industry. With slowing consumer demand, we must lower production and regretfully must make the difficult decision to reduce our workforce."

One of the employees who was let go said no one was expecting it.

"I had heard that upper management knew and had to choose people," said the employee, who asked to remain anonymous for this article. "It was saddening to happen, and it wasn't just new people they did it to, but people who had been there quite a long time. They even went as far as knocking some welders down to assembly, taking away their welder pay, to lower the costs."

Of the approximately 1,000-member workforce in the company's Ozarks aluminum operations, 10% were laid off.

"The decision to eliminate any position is not something we take lightly. Our employees are the best in the industry, and they have never wavered in their commitment to build superior products for our customers," the WRM Group said. "Given the cyclical nature of the industry, we are hopeful that we can recall impacted workers as market pressures ease."

That may be a challenge in the future.

"If it continues to happen in the future, I don't think the company will have much credibility with employees," the laid-off employee said. "I know several people who are currently working there and are thinking of getting other jobs or have already done so."

White River Marine Group said it remains focused on delivering affordable value with industry leading quality and performance.

"One of our prime motivations to keep our boats so affordable, with payments as low as $5 to $10 per day, has been to keep our plants humming and our people employed," the company said in its statement. "The fact that we continue to gain market share in these difficult times is a tribute to our skilled craftsmen and women, our superior dealer network and our dedication to delivering extraordinary value."