Current, PaperDirect laying off 30 in the Springs

Current Inc. and PaperDirect Inc. will lay off 30 employees, or about 5 percent of their combined Colorado Springs work force of 609, as of Aug. 27 as the two Taylor Corp. units realign resources, according to a joint press release. The companies said the positions being eliminated are mostly in management and support roles.

“We made this difficult decision after careful review of our customers’ needs and the marketplace,” said Wendy Huxta, president of both companies. “As a result, we have aligned our resources to better respond to these needs and compete in the markets we serve.”

Current and its affiliate, Lillian Vernon, sell greeting cards, paper products, gifts and home decor products to consumers through catalogs and the Internet; PaperDirect sells brochures, business cards, stationery and other paper products to small business and those operating home offices. Both companies are based in Colorado Springs and are owned by Taylor, an interactive, printing and marketing conglomerate based near Minneapolis.