SugarCreek is investing $36 million in its food manufacturing business in that location and adding 120 new jobs there.
Founded in Washington Court House in 1966, the company offers food processing, packaging solutions and culinary guidance to several of the largest food companies in the world to develop Brandworthy Food Solutions, officials said.
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SugarCreek’s $36 million investment includes the addition of two new product lines and 15,000 square feet of office space, as well as significant modifications to its existing production capabilities.
“The expansion in West Chester is part of our continued investment in adding capabilities and capacity to meet consumer’s ever changing needs,” said Michael Richardson, SugarCreek’s president. “The West Chester project will also enable a centralization of our resources which will provide a welcome workplace to both our customers and our associates. Ohio has been home for over 50 years and we are excited to continue to grow here.”
SugarCreek has six manufacturing and packaging facilities in Washington Court House, West Chester and Dayton, as well as Cambridge City, Indiana, and Frontenac, Kansas. It employs more than 2,600 employee in all, 263 of them in West Chester.
The announced new jobs represent growing the company’s West Chester workforce by nearly 46 percent.
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After considering multiple locations across the Midwest, SugarCreek worked with West Chester Twp., REDI Cincinnati, and JobsOhio officials to finalize West Chester as a focus of investment.
The project further establishes the Cincinnati region as a destination for food and flavoring operations in the country, according to officials with REDI Cincinnati. Over the last five years, food and flavoring jobs have grown more than 20 percent in the Cincinnati region, with SugarCreek the latest of many food manufacturing companies relying on the region for their success.
“Advanced manufacturers like SugarCreek are investing in their employees and products because they recognize it as part of the formula for their success moving forward,” said Kimm Lauterbach, REDI Cincinnati’s president and CEO. “The final ingredient is the infrastructure and talent advantage that the Cincinnati region has to offer, and we’re proud to help make West Chester the place for the next phase of SugarCreek’s growth.”
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The company said it helps that West Chester is located within 600 miles of 54 percent of the total U.S. purchasing power and offers easy access to five interstate interchanges, an ongoing commitment to infrastructure improvements and income tax free business-friendly environment.
It also helps that West Chester is not far from its corporate headquarters and its Dayton facility.
The company’s investment marks a “giant step forward” in its operations, according to West Chester Twp. Administrator Larry Burks.
“SugarCreek’s ongoing investment in West Chester demonstrates the value this company finds in the region and how by working together we can sustain a powerful diverse local economy,” Burks said.
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SugarCreek: facts and figures
• founded in Washington Court House in 1966 as a manufacturer of raw bacon
• $750 million in annual revenue with 6 operating facilities across three states
• offers food processing, packaging solutions and culinary guidance to several of the largest food companies in the world to develop Brandworthy Food Solutions, officials said.
• Ohio facilities include West Chester Twp., Dayton and Washington Court House
• employs more than 2,600 people in six manufacturing facilities, and serves clients across the U.S. and internationally
• employs 263 people in West Chester Twp.
• privately held by chairman and CEO John Richardson. His son, Michael, is president and his daughter, Jennifer, is chief relationship officer.
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