Great Western Mitsubishi-Suzuki is shutting down.

I’ve got a sterling source, and you’ll notice from the photo the complete lack of cars.

If you trying to remember where Great Western is, it’s that gray building on the northeast corner of Omaha and Cambell.

I haven’t heard an official reason yet, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to guess the economy may’ve played a big part.

(Photo: Brandyn Crawford)

Well, that’s a dose of good news.

A survey of economists shows a majority think the recession will be over by the end of the year.

Oh, and here’s an interesting thought from the article:

Seventy-one percent of the forecasters believe a more-thrifty consumer will be around for at least the next five years. Americans’ personal savings rate edged up to 4.2 percent in March, marking the first time in a decade that the savings rate has been above 4 percent for three straight months.

Only the next five years?

Are we the next generation to scrimp and save, and seem like the old-timers to the fast-spending kids?

By Jeremy Fugleberg

Describe the good life in a music video, and you could win a $30,000 kitchen or other prizes from Merillat, which has a manufacturing plant in Rapid City.

From the company’s Facebook page about the contest:

What does the Good Life mean to you? We want to know. After you’ve watched our music video, share it with your friends, then enter the contest and make your own! Because, hey, the Good Life is meant to be shared!

Contestants could also win cash or multiple-day trips to the Caribbean, New York City or Napa Valley in California. Those who invite their friends on Facebook to join the contest can also win smaller prizes. The contest closes on June 4.

The cabinet maker, based in Michigan, has a particle-board plant in Rapid City. Company officials announced the plant would close in September, putting 157 out of a work.

For more information about the contest, go here.

By Jeremy Fugleberg

I’ve heard 25-30 were let go at the Rapid City Cabela’s store.

But Mary Bollock, manager of the store, says that’s “not true” and must just be a rumor:

We’re not laying off anybody here at the Rapid City Cabela’s at all.

I”m working to see if I can get confirmation from anybody who lost their job, but at this point, this is still an unsubstantiated rumor.

Bollock told me the store employs about 200.

By Jeremy Fugleberg

Commenter ‘jt’ says:

I see Best Buy has a reorganization plan and will cut up to 1000 salaried assistant managers and are demoting up to 8000 senior associates to regular sales associates. Wonder how this will effect our store in RC?

It appears Best Buy has told its employees about the cuts and demotions, but has yet to confirm or deny anything to the media.

I’ll check with Best Buy corporate and see if they’ll talk, but I’m guessing they’re not going to break the story to me.

Remember: Electronics retailer Circuit City tanked and folded fairly recently. From the Strib story linked above:

However, the severity of the job and wage cuts led some industry analysts to draw comparisons to Circuit City Stores Incorporated’s ill-fated efforts nearly two years ago to slash costs by eliminating thousands of its higher-paid, but most experienced, salespeople. Service levels suffered, hastening Circuit City’s demise, some analysts argue. The Richmond, Va.-based retailer went out of business earlier this year.

Interestingly, Best Buy is adding 1,000 positions in the United Kingdon.

What’s the future for Best Buy?

By Jeremy Fugleberg

I’m told SymCom in Rapid City had layoffs today.

I don’t know much more, but I’ll see what I can find out.

UPDATE: Kip Larson, SymCom’s president and chief executive, said in a written statement the cuts (he wouldn’t say how many) are due to the state of the global and national economy:

We are not publically releasing the number of employees or affected jobs out of respect for those individuals. We can provide that fact that we still employ more individuals than at this time of year in 2008.

Here’s information about the company (located on North Plaza Drive), from its Web site:

SymCom, Inc. manufactures Voltage Monitors, Current Monitors, Load Sensors, Overload Relays, Intrinsically Safe Relays Remote Monitors, Software and Custom Controller Boards for AC Motor, Compressor and Pumping Control and Protection Applications.

and…

For over 30 years, SymCom has built its reputation around high quality, low-cost motor protection. Most of our products are UL and CSA approved and several are now CE certified as well. SymCom’s future is one of continued growth and expansion as we continually strive to meet our customers’ needs and expectations.

By Jeremy Fugleberg

Some employees were let go this week from the Montana-Dakota Utilities office in Rapid City, a company spokesman confirmed today.

But Mark Hanson, the spokesman, wouldn’t confirm how many lost their jobs:

We’re not going into details as far as specifics, just out of privacy out of employees affected. This week some employees were notified, some happened.

He did say some additional employees could lose their jobs when the walk-in portion of the office closed June 1. But those employees could be offered a job at a new company collections center in Bismarck, N.D.

Hanson also confirmed MDU is getting out of the appliance sales business, and throttling down its appliance service offerings.

The moves come in the wake of an announcement last month that the company was cutting jobs and services as part of its integration with several other utilities.

By Jeremy Fugleberg

Apparently Montana-Dakota Utilities let go some of its worker in Rapid City on Tuesday. Last month, they said they would lay off 130 people in eight states, sometime over the next nine months.

It sounds like that just happened here.

Anybody know anything, or know of an MDU employee who was let go and would talk to me about it?

By Jeremy Fugleberg

The Coca-Cola operation in Rapid City is laying off workers this morning, says a now ex-employee.

He told me a tale of 12 people in a room (including himself), called out individually and taken into a seperate room.

He said was handed a letter informing him he was losing his job because of the economy . . .  then escorted out of the building to his car.

He says:

They did it one at a time, and escorted us one at a time out of the door. It was kind of dramatic.

He estimates it would take at least 150 people to run the plant, and he expects 40-50 to lose their jobs. I’ll see what I can find out.

But what’s the point of that kind of secrecy?

By Jeremy Fugleberg

This just in — Rapid City’s unemployment rate jumped in January, rising to 5.1 percent, according to the state Department of Labor. That’s the city’s highest unemployment rate since Febuary 1993.

The statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in January stood at 4.4 percent, the highest the state had seen since 1987.

The city’s unemployment rate has climbed to nearly double what it was in July 2008, when it stood at a low 2.6 percent.

Hold on to your hats, folks.