Misty Harbor, a maker of pontoon boats, will close its Fort Dodge plant shortly, company officials announced Monday afternoon.

About 45 employees will lose their jobs.

In a statement announcing the closure, Jeff Miller, the president of Misty Harbor, said the work done at the Fort Dodge facility will be moved to a plant in Bristol, Indiana, to “optimize operational efficiency and reduce logistic costs.”

Operations at the plant at 228 Kenyon Road will “wind down over the next two to three months,” Miller said in the statement. An exact closing date wasn’t announced.

“Over the coming weeks and months, we will work with Iowa Workforce Development to mitigate the impact of this closure on employees,” Miller said. “I would like to reassure customers that Misty Harbor’s products and services will not be impacted by this decision.”

“I also want to thank each and every one of our employees for their dedication over the years and their commitment to continuing to serve our customers until the facility closes,” he added.

Dennis Plautz, the chief executive officer of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance, said he had been concerned about the long-term future of Misty Harbor for awhile.

“It was a company that we had identifed as being an at-risk company for the last several years,” he said.

He said the Growth Alliance wanted to visit company leaders in Indiana. He said the alliance also wanted to do a supply chain analysis in an effort to help the company.

“We were not successful in getting management’s interest,” Plautz said.

He said the Growth Alliance will work to market the Misty Harbor building to other companies. He said the alliance will also work to connect the Misty Harbor employees with other companies.

Mayor Matt Bemrich said it is “always disappointing” when a local business closes.

He said Misty Harbor employed a lot of welders, and welding is a skill that is in high demand. He said he’s hopeful that new opportunities can be found for those welders. He added that the city can promote the presence of skilled welders in the community when working to recruit new businesses.

Misty Harbor was founded in Humboldt in 1989. It moved to Fort Dodge in 1993.

Dave and Lisa Wilson, of Fort Dodge, owned the company for many years. In 2017, the Marine Group LLC, based in Indiana, bought the company.