Established back in 1953, Emporia’s Hopkins Manufacturing is essentially no more.
First Brands, Hopkins’ parent company, has sent Emporia city leadership a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice, or WARN, saying it has closed the plant at 428 Peyton on Monday. The closure immediately impacts 118 employees. The remaining 12 have been tasked with “assisting with matters related to the closure” before they will be let go April 30.
A letter from First Brands to the city says First Brands “has gone to great lengths to avoid closing this facility,” adding many potential bidders were interested in Hopkins and one unnamed bidder went relatively deep into the sale process before “suddenly and unexpectedly” withdrawing its bid. First Brands had claimed all Hopkins’ intellectual property, meaning any new parent company could only use Hopkins equipment as opposed to the Hopkins brand or any others associated with Hopkins.
First Brands also says it tried unsuccessfully to bring another bidder to the table — and a sale was the only way it could generate the capital needed to continue local operations.
The closure means Emporia’s Rapid Response Team will be activated to help the displaced workers. A plan is being developed.
Hopkins operated independently for almost 60 years before it was bought by Oncap. First Brands bought Hopkins in late 2023. Less than two years later, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. First Brands’ founder, Patrick James, and his brother, Edward, a former First Brands executive, have been charged in federal court with wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy in relation to First Brands’ financial collapse.
3:15 pm Monday: Hopkins employees getting verbal termination notices after sale falls through
Less than two weeks ago, there was optimism at Hopkins Manufacturing with the thought a buyer would step in and purchase the operation.
That optimism has faded because the deal has fallen through. As a result, plant management is calling employees to let them know they have been terminated. Official notices are coming later. A plant closure date has not been announced.
The unspecified buyer backed away after learning First Brands, Hopkins’ parent company, had claimed all Hopkins’ intellectual property, thus meaning any new parent company could use the Hopkins equipment but could not use the Hopkins brand or any others associated with Hopkins if it bought the company.
A court could rule on whether the proposed purchase includes Hopkins’ intellectual property. If that happens and the court says intellectual property can be included, there is a chance the sale could proceed.
First Brands continues a bankruptcy process after current leadership filed for Chapter 11 protection last fall. Meanwhile, founder Patrick James and his brother, Edward, a former First Brands executive, face nearly 10 criminal counts each in federal court on charges of wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy.
Word on when Hopkins will wind down its operations is pending. Hopkins has been operating locally since 1953. The last report from the company to the Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas had over 160 employees as of January 2025. City Manager Trey Cocking says there has been no report to city management about the Hopkins situation.
