When Rubber Hit The Road

What does a city do upon losing its primary employer? Adapts. Bounces back. Embraces change.

In January 1991, Eau Claire’s Uniroyal tire plant employees received devasting news: after 75 years of manufacturing tires, the plant was scheduled to close. As the city struggled to overcome the loss of its largest employer, the former employees struggled to find their footing in a quickly changing world. What would happen next was anyone’s guess. But if the city hoped to survive, it was up to its citizens to figure out how.