Rockford Products announced Tuesday that they will be laying off all 171 employees at their location on Harrison Ave at the end of September, but one county leader says he still feels optimistic about the future of Rockford's economy despite the layoffs.

I too had a grandparent who worked at Rockford Products in its hay day, and I know she would be brokenhearted to know what has happened to her beloved company. I definitely share Chairman Christiansen's hope that we see an rise in the city's industrial companies very soon.

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