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Economy Prompts Man To Fire Dad -- Twice
March 22, 2009Florida Man Says Father Doesn't Hold Grudge
ORANGE PARK, Fla. -- The economy has been hard on many families across the country, but for a Florida man and his father, it has been especially difficult.
Greg Holloway, owner of Orange Park Drywall, said he knows firsthand about how the bad economy has affected businesses. He has had to lay off his father -- twice, reported WJXT-TV in Jacksonville, Fla.
"When the market really started getting bad, I had to let him go," Holloway said.
The first time was when Holloway was a supervisor at a company for which both he and his dad worked.
The second time was after Holloway left that drywall company and formed his own. In 2007, he hired his father, 70-year-old Mitch Holloway, as an adviser.
"I said, 'Dad, with the market the way it is, I'll bring you on for as long as I can, but when it's time to call it quits, we're going to have to call it quits,'" Holloway said.
When the economy went south, he had to streamline and once again found himself having to give dad a pink slip.
Holloway went from running his drywall company out of an 800-square-foot warehouse to an office in his home. In his heyday, the business owner said he had 12 full-time employees. Now, he's down to four.
"I've got a lot of friends who've been in the business for a long time who right now have nothing to do," Holloway said.
The construction industry as a whole has been hurting during the recession. Recently, Jacksonville let go several building inspectors because there weren't enough construction projects around town to justify their positions.
Holloway said fortunately his father doesn't hold a grudge.
"We both get along. We went golfing last week. We're good," he said.
Holloway said business has been picking up lately and may soon be able to get his father back on board.
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