Madison contractor closes shop with little notice

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Madison plumbing, electric and solar contractor H&H Group reportedly shut down with little notice last week, a move its employees claim ran afoul of state law.

H&H Group is a contractor that operates multiple divisions specializing in plumbing, building automation and other fields and has roots dating back to 1901, according to its website. But on Jan. 14, company executives sent an email to employees telling them that it had “suspended operations, effective immediately,” Madison’s WKOW reported Wednesday.

Company officials did not respond to several messages seeking comment by press time Thursday.

Typically, under Wisconsin’s WARN Act, companies that employ 50 or more workers are required to report mass layoffs to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. But Tyler Tichenor, a DWD spokesman, said the agency hasn’t received such a notice from the firm.

A group of H&H employees argue that the company should have notified the state that it’s shutting down in a recent complaint filed with DWD’s Equal Rights division, Tichenor said. Investigators are currently reviewing the claim, he said.

H&H Group has performed work on a number of prominent projects in recent years, according to its website. The company designed and built the 14-story RISE at Riverfront Crossings tower in Iowa City, Iowa, which included more than 300 apartments and 150 hotel rooms.

The company has also worked on a number of public construction projects, including upgrading electrical systems at Baraboo High School, installing a building automation system at the Adams Friendship School District and adding a solar array to the west wing of the Wisconsin state Capitol.

The company has faced numerous lawsuits in Dane County Circuit Court in recent months, however.

Since September, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue has filed a dozen lawsuits against H&H Group Holdings and its related companies for delinquent tax warrants, court records show. Follow @natebeck9