This came out today and as a customer I got the email, they've decided to file for Chapter 11 Corporate Reorganization and Bankruptcy. I really do hope that they continue making the majority of their products in the United States. http://www.oreck.com/Company-News-and-Media/company-news-and-media,default,pg.html?keycode=DS5527768264

I can say that I've been very happy with the Graphite that I have, and that my grandmother, who has had an old XL for at least twenty years has been just as happy with hers. I really hope that they can pull through this and make the needed changes for the better, but deep down my biggest fear is someone like TTI will swallow them, then gut them and send everything overseas.

Well, one could say that the beginning of the end for Hoover also came about in a similar way when the Hoover family sold the plant off to Maytag Corp.

In today's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper, there was a business section report saying that the company had laid off an unspecified amount of people in January and did another round of layoffs in March.

I'm all for the Oreck family taking it back!

When my grandmother was diagnosed with severe arthritis the late 80s - early 90s her doctor asked what kind of vacuum cleaner she had, and she told him (it was a Kirby Dual Sanatronic 50), and he proceeded to tell her that she needed to get an Oreck. Everyone knew of Oreck where she lived because the factory was in the town (Long Beach, MS) before moving to Tennessee after Hurricane Katrina. The machine has served her exceptionally well over the years, only bag and belt changes. Having the Oreck gave her the freedom to lead a much more regular life when it came to doing housework. There are a great number of products that I don't like, across all categories, and brands of products that I would never buy personally, however there are people involved. I would never ever ever jump for joy upon hearing that an American company, employing hundreds of people, is filing for Chapter 11 and is potentially subject to being sold off and shipped overseas. For a good example, I would never own a Chrysler product, but you know what, when they filed for bankruptcy back in 2009, my first thoughts were for the people in the factories whose liveyhoods depended upon the job they had in the factory. The great thing about America, and the free market economy specifically is that there is a great number of goods to choose from, in all sorts of categories, and the individual consumer gets to pick what works best for them. I have the Oreck because I live in a small apartment and the Oreck is compact and provides very good cleaning for the medium carpet that I have. But it always goes back to people, and all people, regardless of if you agree with them, the company they run or the products that company makes, deserve your respect (unless they've done something to damage that).

The Oreck Corporation will be put on the auction block on July 7, so we'll all know then. In the meantime, I've noticed they've gotten rid of their classic entry one speed upright, and now have the XL Edge listed as the bottom tier model, the price on the Graphite has been cut as well. I also noticed that they are cutting back the canister line, only the Quest, Little Hero, and Ultimate Handheld are available to order from the website. Our Sam's Club was selling one red commercial upright model, with a free year of bags and belts, and that model has been pulled from club shelves. Walmart.com is still listing a wide array of Oreck machines for purchase. Now, we just play the waiting game.