ELLENBORO - Simonton Windows laid off 115 employees at its Ritchie County facility because of economic conditions and a seasonal drop in business, a company official said Thursday

Marty Davis, marketing manager for the company, said the layoffs are the result of the poor economic climate in the country and a downturn in the housing market.

"Obviously, we've got some ongoing and significant downturns in the U.S. housing market due to the current economic climate. There's also the usual seasonal drop in business," Davis said. "As a result, we've reduced the workforce in Ritchie County and the Paris facility in Illinois."

In addition to the 115 employees in Ritchie County along U.S. 50, 42 employees of the Paris, Ill., window manufacturing facility are now out of work, Davis said. The employees will receive benefits through the end of January, he said. Only hourly employees were affected by the cutbacks.

"The determination of which employees was based on employee skill and tenure with company," Davis said.

Davis said the company hopes to rehire employees at some point in the future. He could not say when.

"We hope to rehire the employees when business rebounds, home improvement markets recover and when the economy improves," he said.

Company officials understand the gravity of the decision to lay off workers, but the situation could not be avoided, he said.

"We also understand that this situation will have a serious impact on the lives of employees and their families in Ritchie County, Parkersburg and Paris," Davis said. "We value our employees and intend to rehire them as soon as business conditions improve. Decisions to lay off are not taken lightly here."

Davis said the employees were notified last week and the layoffs went into effect on Tuesday.