Patriot Industries, a Monticello-based U.S. military supplier, has laid off more than 80 workers because of a drop-off in orders.
The company is a sub-contractor to another company and supplies them with equipment including ruck sacks and assault packs carried by U.S. soldiers.
"Basically, the military has slowed down their orders recently, and that's impacted our customer and as their subcontractor, it impacts us," said President and CEO Jack Mills.
Eighty of the company's workers at its plant in Albany were laid off in recent weeks and another four are being let go this week, Mills said.
After the layoffs, the plant, which started operations in 2004, will have 141 workers. The plant also produces Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment, commonly referred to as MOLLE by the military. The company as a whole employs 450.
Mills said the company is hopeful orders will pick back up and the workers can be brought back.
"We've been growing for the past several years and where other people have been laying off, we've been adding," Mills said. "We've been fortunate up to now."
The company was approved for $475,000 in state tax incentives in late 2007 for the Albany facility. However, while the incentives were eligible to be activated in late 2009, state Cabinet for Economic Development spokeswoman Mandy Lambert said the company has not submitted the documentation necessary to do so.
Patriot Industries has received approval four times for state tax incentives for various projects. In total, the company has been approved for more than $1.6 million in incentives to offset the costs of projects totaling more than $3.3 million.
