Howard Miller, a Zeeland-based manufacturer of clocks and furniture, announced Thursday that it will cease operations after nearly a century as a community staple. Residents expressed their sorrow over the closing, citing both economic impacts and a sense of loss in community identity.
The iconic Howard Miller clock tower in downtown Zeeland has long symbolized the company’s presence. With the announcement of the shutdown, many in the area feel this marks a profound symbolic loss.
“I audibly gasped when I heard the news. Howard Miller has been a fixture in this community for nearly 100 years,” said Holland native Jodi Owczarski, president of the Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce.
Owczarski highlighted the deep connections many residents have with the company.
“Their products are here. They're in our building. Here, they're in our homes,” she added while pointing to a Howard Miller clock at the Chamber of Commerce.
The company cited "the uncertainty of the future" as the reason for its closure, listing concerns over tariffs and a decline in the furniture industry.
"In recent years, a convergence of market influences beyond our control brought us to this point. Furniture sales are closely linked to the health of the housing market, which is struggling. Our hopes for a market recovery early in the year were quickly dashed as tariffs rattled the supply chain, sparked recession fears and pushed mortgage rates higher. The furniture industry continues to shed jobs and announce plant closings."
“This has been compounded by inflation and rising interest rates. Our business has been directly impacted by tariffs that have increased the cost of essential components unavailable domestically and driven specialty suppliers out of business, making it unsustainable for us to continue our operations."
“It's easy to watch the news and hear things out of Washington and think that's happening far away, but these policies have implications. As the tariffs get put in place, it got increasingly difficult for them to be able to meet the needs that they had for production,” Owczarski noted.
Founded by Howard C. Miller, son of office furniture pioneer Herman Miller, in 1926, the company employed nearly 195 workers across four manufacturing plants, one in Zeeland, one in Traverse City, and two in North Carolina.
“Always worried about losing jobs, because there's a ripple effect, too. Not only does it affect that individual, it affects their family, it affects suppliers, others in the community that do business with Howard Miller,” said Zeeland City Manager Tim Klunder, a lifelong resident of Zeeland.
Klunder emphasized the company's significance to the city.
“I’m glad to see that we will at least have a piece of their legacy within the community, again, with the downtown clock towers, the library community center, and again, there are clocks throughout the community,” he remarked.
Lakeshore Advantage, a West Michigan economic development organization, sent FOX 17 this statement.
Lakeshore Advantage is saddened by the closure of Howard Miller and the impact it will have on employees and their families. Howard Miller has been a fixture in the Zeeland community and played an important role for the local economy since 1926. The Miller family has left a remarkable impact on our community through their extraordinary philanthropic efforts such as Howard Miller library in Zeeland and the Jack Miller Auditorium at Hope College.
Our region continues to have a high demand for employees with manufacturing experience. We encourage those impacted to connect with our partners at West Michigan Works![jobs.westmiworks.org] (https://jobs.westmiworks.org/ [jobs.westmiworks.org]) to help in their employment search. We will work with the company and the city of Zeeland to help support repurposing of their headquarters and manufacturing site.
Owczarski said the Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce is also happy to help any former Howard Miller employees that are in need of new jobs.
“The chamber has a Career Center. We'll be here to help support them in this journey and help find additional opportunities,” Owczarski said. “And that's great. We'll still miss Howard Miller, but we're going to be here for our neighbors in a time of need.”
In a press release, Howard Miller said "the company has been working with an investment banker to market itself but has been unable to find a buyer. Howard Miller would still entertain offers from an interested buyer."
They also said production will continue into the fourth quarter of 2025, and the company will remain open into 2026 to sell the rest of it's inventory.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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