This is where I work...sigh.

My life just keeps getting better and better...yeah, right.

Cox CustomMedia Inc. to close at the end of April

Nearly 90 people will lose their jobs

Nearly 90 people are losing their jobs with the shutdown of a homegrown custom publications company in Greenville County.

Cox CustomMedia Inc. has notified the state Commerce Department that it will be closing its operation at 122 Smith Hines Road, said Kara Borie, department spokeswoman. The closure will affect 87 employees, with the first round of layoffs scheduled for April 30, Borie said.

The company produces newsletters for apartment complexes, retail chains and assisted-living communities and other printed marketing materials.

It was founded in 1989 as Resident Update Newsletters Inc. by Greenville businessman Todd Taylor. He sold a stake in the business to a private equity firm before selling the entire company in 2000 to Cox Enterprises Inc., the Atlanta-based media conglomerate.

Cox Newspapers, the newspaper division of Cox Enterprises, said in a brief statement that it had sold Cox CustomMedia to a competitor, Uhlig LLC of Overland Park, Kansas. But Cox didn’t mention the lost jobs or say whether the dismissed employees would be getting any severance package.

Cox said the sale was based on its "strategic decision to focus on its news-driven and direct mail advertising properties coupled with Uhlig’s desire to expand its profile."

Uhlig also produces custom publications. Its holdings include a newsletter company called Illustratus.

Mark Uhlig, the Kansas company’s chief executive, said in the statement released by Cox that Cox CustomMedia "has been a pioneer in the development of high-quality custom periodicals, and has contributed greatly to the marketplace we share. We are very pleased that we will be able to combine our respective strengths in the years ahead."

An Uhlig spokeswoman said her company didn’t have anything to add beyond the statement.

Taylor, who left Cox CustomMedia in 2005, said Uhlig apparently figured "it made more sense for them to fold (the Greenville facility) under their operation in Kansas City."

Taylor said he thought the talented employees at Cox CustomMedia would quickly find other jobs.

"I feel very confident those folks are going to land on their feet," he said.