ASHLAND, Ohio -- A company reopening the former Archway cookie plant stunned displaced employees by presenting them with $1,500 Visa gift cards.

Lance, Inc., based in Charlotte, N.C., will begin operations next week at the former Archway plant with a staff of 50 to 70 workers. Nearly 300 employees lost their jobs when Archway filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October.

Each former full-time employee received a gift card at a meeting yesterday at Ashland High School's Little Theater.

"It was absolutely astounding," Ashland Mayor Glen Stewart said today. "It was a sigh of, 'I can't believe this is happening.' Totally unexpected and totally appreciated in a genuine way."

Lance spokesman Russell Allen said it was the first time the company has made such a gesture and that it was done to show good will to workers and the Ashland community.

Cathy Hayes of Ashland, who worked at the bakery for nearly 30 years before Archway's bankruptcy filing, said the company seemed compassionate.

"I'm excited. I'm ready to go back to work," Hayes said. "It seems like they care about their employees."

Lance, which makes and distributes cookies, sandwich crackers and other snacks, expected to finish hiring workers by Thursday. It has promised to hire workers at the same rates they were making at Archway -- an average of $14.93 per hour.

"It feels like it's going to be a positive change, something we've been needing for a long time," said former Archway employee Michelle Fife of Mansfield.

The plant will resume production of cookies under the Archway brand.

Archway & Mother's Cookie Co. Inc. cited rising food and fuel costs in closing its U.S. operations. Lance announced last week that it completed the purchase of Archway Cookies LLC for about $30 million.

Lance has about 4,700 full-time employees and has manufacturing facilities in North Carolina, Iowa, Georgia, Massachusetts, Texas, Florida, Arkansas and Ontario, Canada. It also sells cookies and chips under the band names Cape Cod and Tom's.

Ashland is about 50 miles south of Cleveland.