CALEDONIA TWP. — A New York City-based producer and seller of hair care products plans to close a Grand Rapids-area production facility by the end of the year, resulting in nearly 70 permanent layoffs.
Officials with Function Inc., which does business as Function of Beauty, disclosed the layoffs in a March 16 filing with the state under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.
The company indicated 68 anticipated permanent layoffs will start in May and last through the summer, according to the notice.
“These separations are planned to be permanent. The entire plant is to be closed. The Company does not have a job bumping system. There is no labor union representing any of the affected employees,” Human Resources Manager Stephanie White wrote in the filing.
A company representative could not be reached for comment.
The permanent layoffs include a variety of technicians, engineering and operations managers, and quality control associates.
With offices in New York City and an additional production plant in Pennsylvania, Function of Beauty was founded in 2016 and specializes in producing direct-to-consumer, custom-formulated hair care products.
The Caledonia Township production plant, which also included a call center, opened in 2019 and the company created 150 local jobs, according to media reports. The Grand Rapids Business Journal reported in 2019 that Function of Beauty had signed a 12-year, $10.5 million lease with Grand Rapids-based Visser Development for the production plant at 6610 Patterson Ave. SE.
A Function of Beauty executive said at the time that Grand Rapids “rose to the top due to its growing economy, the availability of skilled workers and quality of life.”
