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CalStar Products, which makes masonry bricks out of fly ash, will move its production work from Caledonia to a facility in Columbus, Mississippi, and 29 of its 42 workers will be laid off, according to a story on BizTimes.com. The move is needed because the new facility has more capacity, according to a press release. While some of the production work is expected to move to the new facility, the company plans to keep its quality assurance and testing facilities, and most of the front office staff in Racine. Based in Durham, North Carolina, CalStar also plans to add capacity to the Mississippi plant to keep up with demand. “We’re excited for the expansion of our newest Columbus facility as we continue to manufacture America’s only sustainable brick and masonry solution,” said CalStar chief executive officer Craig Ratchford.

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Denise Lockwood has an extensive background in traditional and non-traditional media. She has written for Patch.com, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine and the Kenosha News.