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RAY - Forty people from the small town of Ray and the surrounding area will be out jobs as of Jan. 29, 2010, when a medical products company shuts the doors to its customer service call center, officials announced Tuesday.

A multi-title cataloger of medical-related products, Minnesota-based Medical Arts Press sells printed office stationary products and practice-related supplies to medical offices.

Located in northwestern North Dakota, approximately one hour from both the Montana and the Canadian borders, the call center in Ray handled customer service-related inquiries and problems.

"Due to the economic challenges we face and in order to run the business efficiently, we had to make the tough decision (to close)," said Owen Davis, spokesman for office supplier giant Staples, which purchased Medical Arts Press for $385 million in July 2002. "We will try to do all that we can to help them through this transition."

Employees will receive a severance package, which includes salary and benefits continuation, Davis said, and they will also have the opportunity to apply for other positions within the company, however, no positions currently exist in the immediate area of Ray.

For a town of approximately 550 people, the loss is severe.

"It's devastating to a lot of the farm families and other families who relied on it (for health benefits). They were very good jobs and it will be hard to find something else," said Gerald Ranum, mayor of Ray. "It's going to be tough on the city of Ray, but many of the employees came from Tioga and Williston, so all of the surrounding areas will be affected."

Beyond the loss of jobs, Ranum also said that the vacancy created by the business in the town's mall will be hard to fill because of the current economy.

Medical Arts Press came to Ray in 1998 with the help of a $12,000 grant from Minot's MAGIC Fund and in 1999, the Ray Community Development Corp. received a $15,000 MAGIC Fund grant and a $15,000 no-interest loan to enlarge the facility where the business was located.