The following development organizations are recipients of Expansion Solutions Magazine’s 2008 Awards of Excellence in the *** Food Processing *** industry category. These awards recognize organizations who have demonstrated exceptional progress and potential in the development of their areas -- by successfully recruiting,retaining and growing businesses. The winners below are listed in alphabetical order and are reflective of our top 5 picks.
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Cumberland County, New Jersey is known as the "Garden Spot" of the Garden State. With nearly 70,000 acres of farmland, the county accounts for a full 16% of the entire state agricultural market value. In addition, Cumberland County has one of the most progressive nursery and floriculture industries in the United States, and ranks #1 in greenhouse, nursery, floriculture, and sod production in New Jersey.
A number of food processing and agriculture-based companies call Cumberland County home including General Mills/Pillsbury, Seabrook Brothers and Sons, Inc., and Clement Pappas Co., Inc. Recent additions to the county include the Rutgers Food Innovation Center, a new 23,000 square foot food business incubator, and GROWMARK FS LLC.
Cumberland County, New Jersey is strategically located in the heart of the northeast corridor. It offers competitive land costs in five industrial parks as well as major interstate, rail, and air access. And, the county also offers a variety of financial incentives; and an outstanding quality of life. With an expanding base of agri-business, scientific glass, medical related, and retail businesses, Cumberland County provides a business environment that is friendly and receptive -- and can draw on a diversified labor pool with outstanding training incentives necessary for advanced careers.
An abundance of water and sewer, a skilled workforce, low operating costs and a location central to the east coast encompass the right ingredients that make Martinsville-Henry County the optimum place to locate a business – especially for food processors.
Martinsville-Henry County, located in Southern Virginia, has a plentiful supply of water and sewer – to the tune of eight million gallons of available excess water and six million gallons of available excess sewer per day – ready to be put to use. The county has three publicly-owned industrial parks with nearly 2,000 acres of available land, as well as two privately owned industrial parks -- all of which are tied into one of the largest fiber optic networks in the nation. Located within 50 miles of four major interstates (I-40, I-77, I-85, I-81) connected by four-lane highways, allows businesses to speed their product to market. In addition to these assets, Martinsville-Henry County also offers a wide selection of office, warehouse and manufacturing facilities available for lease or purchase.
Combine all of these advantages with competitive incentive packages, reasonable tax rates and a healthy, growing existing industry base and it’s easy to understand why this county has one of the warmest business climates around. Make plans for a site visit and see why Knauss Snack Food Company decided to relocate to Martinsville-Henry County over four years ago.
San Joaquin Partnership
Stockton, CA
California has held its position as the top agricultural state in the nation for 50 years. Twenty-five percent of the United States' agricultural production comes from California and the vast majority of that is in the San Joaquin Valley. San Joaquin County has history in agriculture and today it remains the core industry with a crop value of $1.7 billion dollars.
The San Joaquin Partnership, a private, non-profit economic development corporation, designed to attract business and industry to the region, lists food-processing as one of its targeted industries, building on an ever-expanding cluster of agri-business.“The region’s fresh crops of produce such as asparagus, cherries, walnuts and almonds are exported internationally to 70 foreign countries,” says Michael Locke, Parthership president & CEO. “The most significant cash value is generated by the growing wine industry, through the Lodi-Woodbridge appellation, and processed cheese from the dairy industry. Leprino Foods in Tracy is the leading national supplier of mozzarella cheese and Stockton is the leading grower of the majority of asparagus consumed in the United States.”
Locke says that since 1995, the San Joaquin Partnership has been successful in providing services and assistance to more than 307 businesses that chose to expand or locate to San Joaquin County. These businesses have created over 49,000 new jobs that provide an annual labor income of $2.2 billion. Many of these businesses were agri-related through food processing or transportation of goods. The county is also known for specialty crops such as blueberries, olives, maraschino cherries and even some rice.
San Joaquin County ranks No. 7 in agriculture for California's 58 counties – we just happen to have the right growing conditions for many food crops," says Scott Hudson, agricultural commissioner for San Joaquin County. "Agriculture contributed a whopping $1.75 billion to our local economy in 2006, which was the last reported year. But adding to that figure is what agriculture actually means to the trucking industry, farm sales, chemical sales and labor, so the annual economic impact figure is more like $9 billion. Agriculture is huge in San Joaquin County, and it remains the No. 1 industry here."
Sioux City, Iowa is experiencing tremendous economic growth due to the forward thinking and commitment of city leaders investing in the city’s future. Nationally-recognized food processing companies such as Cargill, Jolly Time Pop Corn, Sue Bee Honey, Curly's and other industry leaders have made Sioux City home due to a successful business climate and partnerships within the community.
Kent Feeds recently announced its multi-year expansion project in Sioux City providing a new bulk load-out facility to improve customer service and plant efficiency. The plant manufactures a full line of Kent feeds for distribution to dealers and livestock producers in a four-state area within a 150-mile radius.
Sioux City has reflected its commitment to existing food processing companies this past year through investment of infrastructure, including a sewer treatment plant expansion, water treatment project and street improvements in the Yards and Bridgeport Industrial Parks. The new Southbridge Industrial area offers more than 5,000 acres of developable land for future investment and is the ideal location for industries seeking multi-modal capabilities.
Sioux City is located in the tri-state area of Iowa, Nebraska & South Dakota with more than 200,000 people living in the Sioux City MSA. An exceptional transportation network offers access to federal and state four lane highways, Interstate 29, multiple rail providers, Sioux City Gateway Airport, and barge via the Big Soo Terminal.
Springdale Chamber of Commerce
Springdale, AR
At the heart of the nation's eighth best performing region (February 2006 Milken Institute Report) is a city whose reputation is built on business and a strong economy. Springdale boasts Northwest Arkansas ' most diversified economy and the unofficial title as the area's most "business friendly" city.
Best known for poultry, Springdale has a diversified economy. However, there are 15 food processing companies in Springdale, which contribute to their strong economy. Tyson Foods, Inc. - the worldwide leader in protein production - has made Springdale its corporate home due in large part to the ready availability of resources. Tyson Foods Discovery Center is an industry leading research and development complex, located in Springdale. The Discovery Center employs two-thirds of the world's Certified Culinary Scientists.
This city of 65,000 provides Northwest Arkansas with a hard-working and well-paid workforce. With projections showing Springdale's population to be more than 90,000 by 2019, it's clear that this fast-growing city will be a major player in the region's economy for years to come.
For the third consecutive year, Springdale's metro area has been ranked by Forbes as one of the Top 10 Best Places for Business and Careers. The latest ranking shows the region ranked eighth among the 200 largest metro areas in the United States. Strong job growth and low cost of doing business were major contributors to the region's high ranking. With a population in excess of 417,000, Springdale's metro was rated as the eighth best in the nation in job growth and the 11th best in the U.S. in cost of doing business. The past three lists have ranked the region fourth, seventh and eighth in job growth, respectively. In addition to strong showings in job growth and cost of doing business, Springdale's metro also ranks high in low cost of living (27th) and low crime rate (55th) while income growth (77th) is also strong among the nation's largest population centers. |
