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| The new baked goods facility will create 84 jobs in Franklin County |
Staff Photo by Morris Stephenson:
Franklin County Board of Supervisors Chairman Charles Wagner, second from left, and Rocky Mount Mayor Steve Angle, left, present a wooden bowl to Empire Foods/TSG General Manager Nora Barker and Len Marek, the companys president and CEO. |
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
By MORRIS STEPHENSON - Staff Writer
Empire Foods TSG broke ground Monday for its new food and baked goods production center that will bring 84 jobs to Franklin County when the project is completed in 2010.
"Franklin County and Rocky Mount offer a great community for our company, and we look forward to opening our new state-of-the-art food production facility next summer," said Len Marek, president and CEO. "The new Franklin County/Rocky Mount facility will provide Empire Foods TSG with the opportunity to grow our very successful cake and bakery business into new markets and new product offerings."
The ground-breaking ceremony was held Monday afternoon on a building site on Weaver Street in the Franklin County/Rocky Mount Industrial Park.
"We are very pleased to welcome Empire Foods to our community," said Franklin County Board of Supervisors Chairman Charles Wagner. "Our intent with economic development is to provide a broad diversity of industries that offer good wages for employees within our community."
"And we are also pleased that Empire Foods selected a local builder, Price Construction, for the project," Wagner added. "It's always great to see dirt moving and construction equipment in one of our business parks."
Red Valley Excavating began grading the seven-acre site three weeks ago.
Haven Price with Price Construction in Callaway said the 45,000-square-foot, $3-million facility is scheduled for completion by June 30, 2010.
Plans for the new industry were announced last November.
Once completed, Empire Foods/TSG will move from its present facility in Roanoke, which the company has outgrown, according to Marek. The bakery division has been in Roanoke for 13 years.
"We bake cookies and cakes. It's a custom operation," Marek said. "We produce 60,000 one-quarter sheet cakes in a six-day week....We have 15 trucks running each day. It's a niche for us."
"In June 2010, you're all invited to come back and it'll be our party. We're glad to be here," he added.
Joining Marek at the ceremony were General Manager Nora Barker of Smith Mountain Lake and Assistant Manager Karen Guilliams of Ferrum.
The new company was welcomed to the county and town by Wagner, County Administrator Rick Huff, Rocky Mount Mayor Steve Angle and Town Manager James Erwin.
"Successful recruitment of new employment opportunities at Empire Foods for our residents in this challenging economic market is evidence that Franklin County and Rocky Mount remain an excellent place to do business," Angle said. "This groundbreaking proves what we know already, that Rocky Mount is one of Virginia's most competitive communities for business development."
The building site is the last one in the first phase of the Franklin County-Rocky Mount Industrial Park on Weaver Street. The county/town will proceed with plans to develop phase two, or what is known as the Cox property. |
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