Workers left jobless after Gurnee-based Akorn's sudden closure can get help; Here's how.

In the wake of the sudden closure of a Gurnee-based medical manufacturer this week, village officials pledged to support the hundreds of employees who lost their jobs there.

Akorn Operating Co. announced Wednesday to employees at its four facilities across the state that the company would close by Thursday.

Antonio Garcia, of the Lake County Workforce Development Board, said county and state officials want to connect each of the 611 employees who lost their jobs with free resources. That includes help with filing for unemployment benefits through the state and assistance in landing their next job through the Job Center of Lake County.

Ellen Dean, Gurnee's economic development director, said the village and Lake County are home to many thriving employers seeking highly skilled employees like those displaced by Akorn's closing.

"While it is always regretful when a longtime business closes and the livelihoods it supports are impacted, we are confident that many former Akorn employees will find their next opportunity here in Gurnee and Lake County," Dean said.

Dean said Akorn's only correspondence with the village happened Wednesday night when company officials said they would be shutting down. Under what's known as the WARN law, or the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, employers of Akorn's size must give at least 60 days' notice of mass layoffs.

Emily Bolton, of the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, said in a statement Friday the Illinois Department of Labor will conduct an investigation. If WARN law violations are found, the company will face civil penalties.

Akorn manufactured and marketed sterile specialty pharmaceuticals. In 2017, the company moved its corporate headquarters to Gurnee from downstate Decatur, where it continued to operate a manufacturing facility.

The company also ran a research and development facility in Vernon Hills.

Dean said in 2016 Akorn expanded the amount of space it was renting at its headquarters at 5605 Centerpoint Court across Interstate 94 and Six Flags Great America's iconic American Eagle roller coaster.

Garcia said former Akorn employees should call the Job Center of Lake County at (847) 377-3450 or visit lakecountyjobcenter.com.