100 Anaheim Workers Idled as the Roof Falls In at Bryant

About 100 workers in Anaheim lost their jobs last week when Bryant Universal Roofing Inc. of Phoenix filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization,

Bryant laid off its entire work force of about 600 in its three-state region of Arizona, California and Nevada, said Tom Salerno, a lawyer representing the company. Started in 1934 by the Bryant family in Los Angeles, Bryant Roofing later moved to Anaheim. In 1989, the company merged with a Phoenix firm to become one of the West’s largest roofers.

Jim Constance, chief executive of Bryant in Phoenix could not be reached for comment.

Bryant specialized in replacing home roofs in Orange County and built roofs for commercial buildings in Las Vegas, including the Excalibur hotel. The company reported revenue of $150 million last year and was considered one of the nation’s largest roofing contractors.

The company also had about $16 million of debt at the time of the closing, employees were told. One of the company’s major creditors is Foothill Capital Corp., a Los Angeles firm, which had extended Bryant a $13-million loan.

“We are in active negotiations with two groups to buy at least part of the company,” Salerno said.

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Debora Vrana covers real estate for The Times. She can be reached at (714) 966-5979 and at debora.vrana@latimes.com