Julia Kuyper, chief human resources officer at CQ Medical, responded Thursday to questions about the closure of the company’s Orange City office. 

According to Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act data, CQ Medical, formerly CIVCO Radiotherapy, of Orange City, is closing and laying off 33 people at the location. A longtime Iowa business, CIVCO started out as a one-person entrepreneurial venture and grew to a global corporation with 300 employees. The company has offices in Orange City, Coralville, Avondale, Pa., India, Singapore and England. 

Kuyper said the company is consolidating its operations into its manufacturing center in Avondale, Pa.

“We believe this is in the best interest of the providers and patients we support and will ensure that CQ Medical remains a strong partner over the long term,” Kuyper said in an email.

The consolidation will help the company streamline its order fulfillment process, strengthen its operational capabilities and sustain high standards, she said. 

“Specifically, this will simplify order fulfillment by eliminating order consolidation requirements, increase manufacturing efficiency, strengthen our global supply chain resilience and enhance our operational capabilities,” Kuyper said.

Affected full-time employees are being offered relocation packages and positions at the Pennsylvania location, she said. 

“We deeply value our dedicated employees and our strong ties to the Sioux County community, and we do not make this decision lightly,” she said . “Not all Orange City employees are impacted. Many already work remotely or on a hybrid basis and they will be able to continue in their roles in a remote capacity.”

The company is partnering with IowaWORKS to support affected workers. 

“For those who chose not to relocate, we are focused on helping them find new employment.  We have opened a transition services office to help employees refresh their resumes and conduct job searches,” she said. 

“We will be reaching out to area employers to invite them to on-site job fairs to meet with our team. We are also offering severance packages for both full time and part time employees.”

Kuyper said she expects the transition to take place over the next several months, beginning in February and ending in July. 

History

CIVCO was founded as a machining company in 1982 in Dallas by Paul Korver, who designed and produced products for nuclear physicists, according to the company’s website. Soon after, he began developing products for radiation therapy. In 1989, he opened a facility in Orange City with three employees. 

In 1996, Paul and Anita Korver retired, selling the business to Clayton and Deb Korver. The company grew rapidly during the next several years, reaching 95 employees. The company was sold in 2005 to Roper Technologies. The company’s legal name continued to be Medtec, but began doing business as CIVCO Radiotherapy. The company was acquired by a private equity firm in 2001. The following year, CIVCO joined with Qfix Systems, which also produces radiotherapy solutions.