A Westbrook employer that has had steady growth in recent years and has been rated one of the best employers to work for in Maine announced this week that it is cutting half of its workforce.

Legacy Publishing Co.’s chief executive officer, Steve Anderson, issued an open letter to all employees announcing the changes. The company has employed 175 people, according to the Better Business Bureau, thought it’s not clear how current that number is. That figure would mean more than 80 people would be laid off by Nov. 6, mostly in the sales and media teams.

The company announced two and a half years ago that it was adding 125 jobs and expanding into leased space at 100 Larrabee Drive, about a mile from its main location off Main Street.

Jerre Bryant, Westbrook’s city administrator, said the layoffs show the economic recovery is fragile.

“No it’s not a paper mill in Bucksport closing, but if our numbers are correct, that’s 80 jobs and that’s significant,” Bryant said.

“Certainly there are Westbrook people who work there but there are people throughout the region who work there.”

The company publishes multimedia materials on parenting techniques and offers customer support in that area. The company has relied on direct response marketing on television and radio, where customers interested in the product are directed to call the company directly.

The cuts are in response to shrinking markets and rising ad rates with traditional radio and television, Anderson said.

“To be even marginally effective in this environment requires an aggressive sales and marketing approach that is in conflict with our future goals for the business,” Anderson wrote. “By promoting our products and services via online advertising, publicity and referrals, we will be able to create the customer experience and level of engagement that best fits our brands.”

The Maine Department of Labor will be dispatching a rapid response team to help affected workers apply for unemployment insurance and determine health care coverage options and to help them try to find new jobs, a spokeswoman said.