Guy & O’Neill may close operations in Wisconsin and North Carolina

Disinfectant wipes manufacturer Guy & O’Neill has announced plans to shut down operations at its plants in Wisconsin and North Carolina by the end of January if it cannot find a buyer for its assets. The information was confirmed by the company’s human resources manager, Kristin Voigt. 

The company, however, has a verbal agreement with a potential buyer and expects to finalize the transaction by the end of this month, according to CEO and president Chris Moye. Meanwhile, Guy & O’Neill has already issued layoff notices under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN), affecting 196 employees at its headquarters and plant in Fredonia, Wisconsin, and 102 workers in Reidsville, North Carolina. 

According to the WARN warning letters issued on December 23, the closure of the facilities is motivated by “current economic conditions”. Moye himself, who has been CEO since January 2024, is among the executives who could lose their jobs, along with the company’s CFO and chief innovation officer, according to the Wisconsin notice. 

Guy & O’Neill was acquired by private equity firm Centre Partners in 2018. At the end of 2024, the wet wipes manufacturer was put up for sale, but the first attempt to negotiate failed. Now, the company plans to hold an asset auction later this month, as there is no longer enough time to complete a traditional sale process. 

The company is known for producing a wide range of household cleaning and personal care products, such as Ally adult washcloths, Care4 make-up remover wipes, Clean Cut disinfectant wipes, Evoke personal lubricant, Green & Clean cleaning products and Zippy car wipes.