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Cook County event rental company closes warehouse, employees laid off

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Updated  September 16, 2024 10:29pm CDT
Cook County
FOX 32 Chicago

Chicago area event rental company shuts down unexpectedly

The company's Google listing was updated to "permanently closed," and its Chicago location was removed from the website, along with the McCook warehouse being taken off the location list.

The Brief

    • The company has unexpectedly closed its McCook location, leading to immediate layoffs for many employees.
    • The closure leaves clients with upcoming events uncertain, and employees were given short notice, with their final paychecks to include unused PTO. The company’s website and Google listing have been updated to reflect the closure.
    •  The closure is attributed to a recent sale of the company. While the McCook location is closed, Marquee’s other locations in Kansas City and Texas remain operational.

McCOOK, Ill. - A well-known event rental company in the southwest suburbs has unexpectedly shut down operations.

Marquee Event Rentals, on Monday afternoon, notified employees at its McCook warehouse that they were being laid off. For some, their termination was effective immediately.

Providing full-service party rentals for weddings, festivals, and corporate events, the massive warehouse in McCook will no longer be the life of the party.  

FOX 32 Chicago has been working to determine how this will impact clients with upcoming events, but multiple calls and emails to the company went unreturned Monday.

On its website, the company’s Chicago location boasted having the "largest inventory in the industry," including bars, buffets, tables, and tents. This section of the website has since been deleted.

While en route to Marquee’s McCook warehouse Monday afternoon, FOX 32 noticed in real-time that the company’s Google listing changed to "permanently closed."

Meanwhile, references to the company’s Chicago branch were removed from Marquee’s website and the McCook warehouse was erased from its location list.

Late Monday afternoon, several employees confirmed to FOX 32 that they’d been terminated. For many, the difficult news came at the end of their shifts. They were told they’ll be receiving one final paycheck on Friday, Sept. 20, which will include pay for unused PTO.

Founded in the early 1980s and originally headquartered in Carol Stream, Illinois, online records show the company changed hands in 2016. Letters handed out to employees Monday mention another recent sale as the reason for the closure.

One letter stated: "As a result of the final sale of the company, the McCook location of Marquee Event Group will be closing."

Some employees, FOX 32 has learned, might be sticking around for a few more weeks.

The employees who were let go on Monday were required to turn in all their electronics, keys, and equipment in by 5 p.m. or risk a deduction on their last paycheck.

FOX 32 observed workers embracing in the garage of the facility, suggesting an emotional end to the day.

According to its website, Marquee Event Rentals’ Kansas City, Missouri showroom is still open, along with three locations in Texas: Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio.

FOX 32 Chicago made multiple attempts to contact Marquee Event Rentals by phone, email, and through its website to find out how many employees are now without work, and whether clients with contracts—including brides and grooms—will be left in the lurch, but the company has yet to return our requests for comment.