Published: Apr 19, 2011
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WASECA — The Waseca Birds Eye® plant will soon gain jobs after a corporate consolidation by Pinnacle Foods Group LLC. Operations will be moved from Pinnacle’s Fulton, N.Y. plant to its plants in Waseca and Darien, Wis. to “locate all vegetable processing closer to the crop growing region, eliminating approximately one million shipping miles every year,” the company said in a statement released Friday.
Aaron Skogen, facility manager in Waseca, said the consolidation will mean a minimum of 15 jobs across the worker profile, meaning salaried as well as hourly, maintenance, production and sanitation positions.
In addition, a $9 million investment will be made at the Waseca facility this year, with the new jobs starting soon, continuing through the summer, with everyone on board by the end of the calendar year, he said.
Skogen said Pinnacle Foods acquired Birds Eye only a little more than a year ago and they’ve shown a commitment to making long term investments at the Waseca location.
“Now they’re investing again in updating the facility and adding more employees,” he said.
As of April 19, there were 121 full time salary and hourly employees at the Waseca facility, and 160 including 39 part time employees, said Skogen. During the summer fresh pack season, that number increases to 400 employees, he said.
The Waseca Birds Eye facility has two roles, according to Skogen. One is fresh to frozen products, such as peas and sweet corn from the field. The other is retail packaging, such as cob corn, Steamfresh® and regular vegetables in many different varieties, he said.
They have five production lines and the new investment will be made in both fresh and repack operations, Skogen said, adding another high volume packaging line.
“Given what’s happening with diesel fuel, eliminating a million miles out of the logistics cost makes sense. Between Darien, Wis. and Waseca, we grow the majority of the crops we’re using in the production, so it just makes sense,” he said.
“It’s great news for community,” said Skogen.
Kim Johnson, city of Waseca planning director, said the state is working on a $100,000 Minnesota Investment Fund grant to the city and asking the city to give a forgivable $100,000 loan to Birds Eye.
“The state gives us a grant that the city then gives to Birds Eye,” she said.
Birds Eye, in turn, has committed to creating more jobs at the Waseca plant within two years and retaining those jobs for two years.
With the state money funneling through the city, the city agrees to monitor the agreement regarding job creation, she said.
“This isn’t real common. The city has not been asked before by the Department of Employment and Economic Development, who administers the MIF grant, to provide this kind of forgivable loan,” she said. “The state was approached by Birds Eye to see what kind of incentive they could provide and this is what resulted.”
Johnson said the city has made a preliminary application and still has to go through the application process.
The Fulton, N.Y. Pinnacle facility will close at the end of 2011, according to the company. The consolidation is contingent on the final approval in both Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Pinnacle said their $2.5 billion business employs more than 4,500 people in 21 sites North America. The company headquarters is in Mountain Lakes, N.J.
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