e2ip Technologies Shutting Down Bigfork Facility By End of 2020

Economic Officials in Itasca County Provide an Update on Residents, Businesses Financially Impacted by COVID-19

BIGFORK, Minn. – Friday morning during a press briefing, economic officials in Itasca County provided new details regarding the economic impact COVID-19 is having on residents and businesses in the region.

According to Tamara Lowney, President, and CEO of Itasca Economic Development Center, by the end of 2020, Montreal based e2ip Technologies will close its Bigfork location for good.

The company is the largest private business operating in the city with a population of less than 500.

The closure will impact 60 employees who currently work at the facility.

The global company specializes in human-machine interface solutions and printed electronics technologies.

Economic officials say the company has taken a big hit due to the aviation sector losses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At this time, the Itasca Economic Development Corporation is working around the clock to help those who will be impacted, along with many other residents now facing unemployment in various fields such as mining, healthcare, retail, and leisure.

“We have been working hard with the company, they’ve been a great partner in trying to find them additional products to produce in Bigfork, and the second is we’ve been working hard to recruit a manufacturer to come to that facility to utilize the workforce and continue to operate,” said Lowney.

Officials say this will have a large impact on the local economy.

Currently, the unemployment rate in Itasca County Remains higher than the state average.

Click here for additional workforce resources in Itasca County.

COVID-19 UPDATE: As of Friday, June 26, there are 65 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the county, with 12 deaths reported.