NEWTON, Ia. – The Maytag Company used to employ more than 3,000 people in this Iowa town. But then Maytag was bought by Whirlpool, and left the town behind in 2007.

David Faircloth, 76, said he remembered the way the town was before it left.

"In their last few years, Whirlpool tore the guts out of Maytag," Faircloth said. House after house saw "for sale" signs rise. Engineer after engineer was cut. "They let go of me in 2003."

Newton, Iowa was forced to get creative when the company town’s former anchor left. The Maytag Hotel — which claims to be the first hotel west of the Mississippi to have air conditioning — was just this year converted into low-income apartments. One of the former factory buildings northeast of town ditched the appliances in favor of wind turbine blades. The former Maytag headquarters is now an event space.

On Friday, the Maytag Complex was re-purposed again, as a backdrop for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont’s "End Corporate Greed" tour.

"Today, we are going to tell corporate America, with me as president, we will bring forth actions to stop this devastation and greed," the Democratic presidential candidate said.

He said if he were president, he would require large companies to give workers ownership stakes in their businesses. That would let workers have a voice in decisions like the one Maytag made years ago. In an interview with the Associated Press, Sanders said his plan would give workers 20% of shares in the companies and 45% of the seats on corporate boards.

Chris Simmons of Newton said he grew up with family members who were laid off when Maytag left.

"Whole communities should not be destroyed because of corporate greed," Simmons said.

Sanders loop through Iowa included Marshalltown, Des Moines, Newton, Toledo and a rally in Iowa City. It was Sanders' first visit since suffering a heart attack earlier this month and canceling several events. He told the Des Moines Register that despite the cancellations and the decision to scale back the pace of his schedule, his campaign has not lost momentum.

In a press conference in Newton, Sanders was asked whether he felt more compelled to speak about his age and health after his heart attack.

"Is age a factor? I think it is. Is experience a factor? Yup, I think it is," Sanders said. "The most important factor ... is what does the candidate stand for."

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Zachary Oren Smith writes about government, growth and development for the Press-Citizen. Reach him at zsmith@press-citizen.com or 319 -339-7354, and follow him on Twitter via @zacharyos.