A brand new Northern Kentucky manufacturing plant makes it a baker's dozen for
Newly Weds Foods, an international food coatings company that began its life as a bakery.
In early February, Newly Weds Foods announced that its 13th U.S. manufacturing plant will locate in Erlanger, in Boone County. The Chicago-based company is a world leader in producing food coatings, seasoning and ingredients for food processing companies.
The company will invest $57 million in the plant, creating 115 jobs by the spring of 2014. They'll move into a 326,000-square-foot space at 4455 Olympic Blvd. in the
Circleport Business Park near the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
Newly Weds Foods Vice President of Manufacturing Michael Hopp said business growth has been organic, and that Northern Kentucky offered a combination of location, workforce, infrastructure and business friendliness that other locations couldn't match.
"We identified who our target market was going to be, and drew a radius around it. We are very close to our target market. We looked in Northern Kentucky, all the way to Louisville, we looked at Southern Indiana, and Southwest Ohio. This is the spot where we wanted to be," he said, during the company announcement at the NKU's METS Center.
Members of the Northern Kentucky business community, State and regional officials attended the announcement, including Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, several Northern Kentucky state representatives, county-judge executives, business officials and Northern Kentucky Tri-ED, which played an integral role in bringing the company to the region.
"This is a great location for Newly Weds Foods. The willingness of the community, Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corporation (Tri-ED), the Commonwealth of Kentucky and many others who worked with us, made our decision clear-cut," Hopp said.
He added: "The availability of the expandable space was just the right size for us. The location, ease of access to the interstate system, and close proximity to our suppliers, and several key customers, was unmatched by other sites."
In addition, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) preliminarily approved up to $6 million in tax incentives for the company through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the term of the agreement through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.
The company was also approved for a $500,000 sales/use tax refund through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act (KEIA).
Company innovation fuels growth throughout its history and today
The privately-owned business began in 1932 in Chicago when founder Paul M. Angell "married" ice cream and sheet cake, making the world's first ice cream cake roll. The company's name commemorates the tasty wedding.
By the early 1950s, the company began supplying batters and breadings for the emerging frozen food industry. The company went international by the early '80s with a joint venture in the U.K., and later opened new plants in Asia, Australia and Thailand. The '90s saw a joint venture in France, followed by new production facilities in Canada and later the Middle East. In 2012, the company purchased the industrial food coating business of U.S.-based Continental Mills.
Newly Weds Foods has 15 North American plants and 10 international production facilities. They have customers in more than 70 countries.
Manufacturing operations will begin late 2013, with an eye toward growth
Newly Weds Foods will begin operations late this year, and is currently accepting applications at its own website. The company will hire most employees locally, offering full-time jobs.
There are more than a dozen food manufacturers and distributors in the Northern Kentucky region, including Kroger, Procter & Gamble, White Castle Distributing, Sara Lee Foods, United Dairy Farmers, Kellogg Snacks, WILD Flavors and Schwan's.
"Demand for our products is growing around the world, and Northern Kentucky provides a central location with an excellent workforce and transportation system," said Charles T. Angell, president of Newly Weds Food. "We will be able to improve our service to our customers with this facility in Northern Kentucky. We appreciate the level of cooperation and assistance provided to us from Boone County, Tri-ED, the local business community up to the Governor's office."
Production lines will include sheeted breaders, Japanese- and American-style breadcrumbs, and blending capabilities for food coating systems. A complete research and development lab will also be on site.
The existing skill of the local workforce was a key component of Northern Kentucky's attractiveness to the manufacturer.
"The availability and the productivity of the Northern Kentucky workforce was certainly a strong factor in our decision. We understand this area is known for holding a strong work ethic, people who understand food manufacturing and its unique requirements," Hopp said. "As a family-owned company, our employees are the backbone of our company and our success. We are counting on Northern Kentucky to continue that tradition."
The company chose its Boone County location with an eye toward near-future growth. The current space can be expanded by up to 90,000 sq. ft. At full capacity, Newly Weds Foods would create 150 new jobs.