Nationwide plans to close Canton office in early ’19

Nov. 02--CANTON The local operations center for Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. will be closed by the end of March, according to paperwork the company filed with state officials.

Jobs will be eliminated for the remaining 173 employees, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act letter the company filed Wednesday with the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services.

Nationwide announced in February 2015 its plans to close the local office by 2020. At that time the company had about 600 people working in the building at 1020 Market Ave. N.

Plans are to eliminate jobs in two groups, with four employees being cut on Dec. 30 and the remainder by March 31. But the schedule is subject to change after Jan. 1, the company told state officials.

Nationwide opened the center in 1954 and expanded the facility in the early 1980s. For nearly 60 years the office provided hundreds of local jobs.

Since the fall of 2014, Nationwide has been moving jobs from the Canton facility to Columbus and offices in other states. The company started by cutting 190 jobs for underwriters, followed by the early 2015 announcement that it would eliminate about 400 call center jobs.

The closing has been part of an effort by Nationwide to streamline operations and focus on a "one-brand strategy."

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