A Meridian company on a Forbes best-employers list is laying off workers
Scentsy, the Treasure Valley wickless-candle and scented-wax company, says it has eliminated 116 positions from its headquarters in Meridian.
The announcement comes as the company says market conditions are ratcheting back down to “prepandemic levels.”
“During the pandemic, we experienced unprecedented hypergrowth and doubled our revenue in just one year,” said Chief Executive Officer Dan Orchard in a news release Thursday announcing the layoffs.
The company said the growth allowed Scentsy to hire over 1,000 employees during the coronavirus pandemic, reaching a peak of about 1,700 employees in 2021, according to Scentsy’s director of community relations, Kelli Floto.
In an email to the Idaho Statesman, Floto said that “over the past several years, there has been natural attrition,” bringing Scentsy’s employee count to 1,032 before Thursday’s layoffs, an almost 40% drop from its 2021 peak. Thursday’s cuts represent 11% of the workforce, Floto said.
“These staffing decisions were not made lightly,” Orchard said in the release. “As a company, we are committed to making thoughtful, strategic decisions to ensure long-term sustainability and the continued delivery of high-quality products and services.”
Orchard said the changes would “align our costs and workforce with the current state of the business.”
The release noted the company has informed employees whose positions have been terminated and offered compensation packages based on years of service.
Scentsy previously grew into a Meridian top employer
Scentsy recently ranked 292 on a Forbes list of “best midsize employers” that included nearly 500 companies across the nation.
Scentsy owners Heidi and Orville Thompson bought the candle company from two Utah women in 2004. At the time, they employed five people and operated out of a sheep farm, according to the company’s website. The Thompsons installed a direct-selling model and quickly grew Scentsy into a consumer-products giant.
Scentsy moved into its headquarters off Eagle Road north of Interstate 84 in 2013. In 2021, the company surpassed $1 billion in revenue, according to Direct Selling News magazine.
According to the Idaho Department of Labor, Scentsy was the fifth-largest employer in Meridian as of 2024.
Other top Meridian employers at the close of 2024 included the West Ada School District, St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center, and Blue Cross of Idaho. Blue Cross is laying off workers too.
This story was originally published April 4, 2025 at 2:14 PM.
