TOLEDO, Ohio — Eighteen Lucas County-based employees of Bitwise were notified of their immediate termination Wednesday after the California tech incubator and job-training company furloughed its entire workforce two weeks ago.
An email from Bitwise's interim president, Ollen Douglas, to the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services said the 18 terminations were permanent and went into effect Wednesday.
The email also confirmed the closure of the company's planned workforce development and innovation center in a renovated Jefferson Center on Jefferson Avenue in downtown Toledo.
Another Bitwise location at 413 Adams Street will also be closed.
The local Bitwise positions affected by the layoffs are as follows:
- Senior Vice President of City Expansion
- Program Manager
- Lead Generators
- Account Executive
- Community Catalyst
- Events Coordinator, Toledo
- Executive Assistant
- Financial Analyst
- Front Desk Receptionist
- Janitorial Team (three employees)
- Senior Software Developer
- Student Support Specialist, Toledo
- Tenant Improvement (two employees)
- Vice President of Bitwise, Toledo
- Security Guard
The terminated employees are not in a union, Douglass said.
Toledo's Bitwise Industries was expected to open later this year. The Fresno, Calif., tech company partnered with ProMedica to develop the center, which officials said would provide job training and development, along with incubation services for tech companies and businesses in other industries. Officials said the project would create hundreds of regional jobs.
Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz is copied on Douglass' email. When asked for comment, a city of Toledo spokesperson Thursday said they were not aware of "these new layoffs."
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