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February 27, 2025

Waterbury manufacturing site closing, leading to 76 job cuts

COSTAR Rheem's Waterbury facility at 400 Captain Neville Drive.
By Michael Puffer

Atlanta-based manufacturer Rheem is laying off 76 employees at its Waterbury tankless water-heater manufacturing center.

Rheem, which acquired Waterbury-based Eemax in 2015, warned the Connecticut Department of Labor (DOL) on Monday that it is closing its manufacturing facility at 400 Captain Neville Drive.

Layoffs are expected to begin April 30, and wrap up on July 30, according to the Rheem notice.

Rheem is focused on the manufacture of water heating and HVAC equipment and employs 14,000, according to its website. The company is celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2025. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notice to the state DOL comes less than two weeks after the company touted its recognition by Forbes as one of “America’s Best Employers in 2025.”  

Waterbury Economic Development Director Joseph McGrath said the city is disappointed to lose the company.

However, McGrath said he’s confident a new manufacturing tenant will eventually occupy the roughly 100,000-square-foot leased space being exited by Rheem.

The property owner, Waterbury-based Cornerstone Realty, will hold an open house on March 7, he said.

“We feel it will be filled sooner rather than later with another manufacturing company,” McGrath said. “We don’t have another 100,000-square-foot space available, and we’ve had quite a few inquiries from manufacturing companies looking to move or expand.”

Cornerstone Vice President Jake Albert said he is disappointed for the people losing their jobs, but also optimistic about the prospect for a new tenant, given the historically low availability of industrial space in the Greater Waterbury area.

“We are aggressively marketing it,” Albert said. “We are hoping to attract a company that employs a lot of people and who can generate a lot of tax revenue.” 
 

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