Storied Sturgeon Bay Yacht Builder Plans To Close Doors In October

A high-end yacht maker in Sturgeon Bay is closing down after nearly 100 years in business, leaving 105 employees at Palmer Johnson out of a job by the end of October.

The closure is linked to the Great Recession, from which the business had never truly recovered.

Sturgeon Bay Mayor Thad Birmingham said Palmer Johnson’s name is big in the city and in the big-money yachting world.

“From a historical perspective it’s a very sad day,” Birmingham said. “Ship building has been in this community’s lifeblood since its existence. It’s going to be a great loss.”

Matt Valiquette works with the Bay Area Workforce Development Board to help displaced workers. He said there are many other ship companies in the area where skilled workers might find new jobs.

“It’s not all doom and gloom and a lot of the stress comes from the uncertainty of the unknown,” he said. “So we do our absolute best prior to the date of layoff to arm them with that information and knowledge.”