"Anyone who has read a paper recently knows the economy is not the best. The buyers who would normally be interested in a property like this are sitting on the sidelines," said Katzman. "When the economy opens up again, I am sure we will have one or two interested parties step forward."

In the meantime, Katzman said the vast majority of the between 250 and 350 manufacturing jobs have been eliminated as scheduled in recent weeks, leaving "about a couple dozen" warehouse personnel behind and the 50 to 75 management and support jobs, which range from logistics and customer service to engineering. The warehouse operations will be phased out in the next two months, leaving just the management and support jobs behind in the Route 9 facility in Greenport, he said.

"There are no plans for those jobs to go anywhere," said the owner and grandson of the founder of Kaz Inc.

In the meantime, Columbia County Commissioner of Planning and Economic Development Ken Flood said the county is prepared to offer assistance to any manufacturer looking to lease the Route 9 factory. "We will work with an interested party once one has been identified," said Flood.

To date, Flood said, no one has approached him or the Columbia Hudson Partnership seeking incentives to purchase the facility or move operations into it.

 
Katzman announced plans last September to outsource production of the vaporizers, humidifiers, heating pads, and other home health products that are now made in Greenport and Memphis, Tennessee, to a plant in Juarez, Mexico. The relocation of the manufacturing operations and the elimination of the jobs was designed to cut costs for the international company.

"It was strategic decision that we should no longer be in the manufacturing business," Katzman said on Tuesday.