It should be a quiet conclusion at the end of work today as the remaining dozen or so office workers finally move out of the "Big Basket," the iconic headquarters of the Longaberger Co., and into office space at the company's manufacturing plant in Frazeysburg. But the quiet departure is a far cry from 1997, when the Newark basketmaker was approaching its glory days and opened the 180,000-square-foot building with 500 employees enjoying the homey feel of their new digs.

It should be a quiet conclusion at the end of work today as the remaining dozen or so office workers finally move out of the �Big Basket,� the iconic headquarters of the Longaberger Co., and into office space at the company�s manufacturing plant in Frazeysburg.

�Of course, the Big Basket will always be a permanent �advertisement� for the Longaberger Co. and a symbol of our community�s basketmaking heritage,� said Russell R. Mack, executive vice president for communication at Longaberger parent JRJR Networks. �People will continue to come to our area to see the Basket and take pictures of it.�

But the quiet departure is a far cry from 1997, when the Newark basketmaker was approaching its glory days and opened the 180,000-square-foot building with 500 employees enjoying the homey feel of their new digs.

The company has struggled since the death of Dave Longaberger in 1999. A combination of bad economic times and changing tastes in home decor sent sales from a peak of $1 billion in 2000 to about $100 million in 2014. Several rounds of layoffs have occurred, leaving the company with several hundred employees, no more than 60 of them in the basket building.

Longaberger Co. seemed to be on the path to recovery after CVSL (now called JRJR Networks), a holding company of direct-sales firms, bought a 51.7 percent stake in Longaberger in 2013. But financial problems persisted: Longaberger Co. owes $577,660.05 to various local taxing entities related to the cost of roadwork, lighting and other improvements made when the Big Basket was built.

If delinquent taxes aren�t paid, the county has the power to foreclose on the property and offer it at a sheriff�s sale, Licking County Auditor Mike Smith said, but that isn�t likely.

Newark �does not have a desire to own the building,� said Newark Mayor Jeff Hall.

�We have had some conversations with (JRJR Networks) to try to see what the future can be. But it doesn�t move at light speed.�

The exit comes after JRJR Networks announced in February that it was moving the remaining 30 workers from the Newark building after more than a year of attempts to find new tenants or a new owner.

The building continues to be for sale, but little movement has been made in either selling it or getting tenants to occupy it, said real estate agent Michael Guagenti, who was at Colliers International for several years and now is with Cushman & Wakefield.

�We�re still marketing the building,� Guagenti said.

�The challenge is, it�s large,� Hall said. �It�s in great shape. It was built wonderfully. If someone got it for maybe $5 million, that�s a heck of a deal. The taxes plus utilities are about $750,000 a year.�

The move marks both an ending and a new beginning for the company, Mack said.

�For a long time, employees urged that we bring all of our team members together, instead of having everyone scattered at manufacturing, the Homestead and the Big Basket, miles away,� he said. �So now, the team will be able to feel even closer, with everyone in the same place.

�This brings Longaberger back to its roots and core strength. It will make it easier for all work groups to interact with each other and feel even more like a true family. We all believe that this re-unification of our team is another positive step in Longaberger�s recovery and renewal."

�I can understand that,� Hall said. �They want to be together. That long drive isn�t conducive to teamwork.�

�We are very excited to be together and working side by side,� said Brenton Baker, director of communications and special initiatives and a longtime Longaberger employee. �And all of it just in time for our annual family reunion � the Bee.�

tferan@dispatch.com

@timferan