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Hershey report
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Hershey Company announces nearly 70 new jobs in valley
Mar 16, 2017 | WHSV-ABC (Harrisonburg, VA)
By Matthew Fultz
Governor Terry McAuliffe announced the company will make a multi-million dollar investment. -
Hershey expansion bodes well for plant's future
Mar 16, 2017 | The News Virginian
By Bob Stuart
The Hershey Company plant in Stuarts Draft will add 69 new jobs and spend millions on new equipment, according to an announcement by Gov. Terry McAuliffe. -
More jobs headed to Draft's Hershey plant
Mar 16, 2017 | News Leader
By Laura Peters
Nearly 70 new jobs will be coming to Stuarts Draft due to an expansion at the Hershey Company.
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Hershey Company announces nearly 70 new jobs in valley
Mar 16, 2017 | WHSV-ABC (Harrisonburg, VA)
By Matthew Fultz
Governor Terry McAuliffe announced the company will make a multi-million dollar investment.
"They have all the other choices in the world and they stay here," said Board of Supervisors Chairman Tracy Pyles. "We have a great management team over there and we are proud of our workers that go there and they're productive. And the company says that's a good place to be."
The Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP) will provide funding and services to help recruit and train the new employees.
The VJIP funding also will support the retraining of 140 existing employees on the new equipment.
Pyles said the county hopes to announce some more jobs within the next month.
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Hershey expansion bodes well for plant's future
Mar 16, 2017 | The News Virginian
By Bob Stuart
The Hershey Company plant in Stuarts Draft will add 69 new jobs and spend millions on new equipment, according to an announcement by Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
The Hershey Company plant in Stuarts Draft will add 69 new jobs and spend millions on new equipment, according to an announcement by Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
The Virginia Jobs Investment Program will provide funding and services to help recruit and train the new employees, McAuliffe said in a release. The VJIP funding will also support the retraining of 140 existing employees on the new equipment.
The announcement Wednesday marked the eighth expansion for Hershey in Stuarts Draft since the plant was established in 1980. The most recent expansion occurred just last summer, when a new product line came to the Stuarts Draft plant.
McAuliffe said the expansion "is a tremendous testament to the commonwealth's competitive business cliimate."
The Stuarts Draft plant is Hershey's second largest U.S. plant with an employee base of more than 900.
"We are honored that Hershey continues to invest and expand in the commonwealth and look forward to future growth in the years to come,'' Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Todd Haymore said.
Haymore said the Hershey expansion is indicative of the kind of economic expansion Virginia needs right now. He said it is vital for new jobs to be created from existing Virignia industries, adding that about two-thirds of the new jobs in the commonwealth are the result of expanding existing companies.
Haymore, who has been the secretary of commerce and trade for just over seven months, said the Hershey expansion talks have been underway at least since he took office.
Augusta County Board of Supervisors Chairman Tracy Pyles said the fact that Hershey keeps expanding in Stuarts Draft shows "how good our people are and that they do a good job."
Pyles said Augusta County has other advantages, including a low tax rate, key transportation assets tand access to markets, and the availability of "smart people at our universities."
South River District Supervisor Carolyn Bragg represents the Stuarts Draft area.
"The Stuarts Draft community and Augusta County are appreciative of our partnership with Hershey Chocolate of Virginia, and we will work to support the company's efforts to expand and thrive in this area," Bragg said.
Dennis Winnett, the plant manager in Stuarts Draft, suggested that the plant has a bright future.
"As Hershey's sale continue to grow and we bring more innovative products to market, Stuarts Draft will play an important role in our ability to make these popular Hershey products for consumers all across the country," Winnett said.
Hershey is headquartered in Pennsylvania and manufactures chocolates, sweets, mints and other snacks for delivery across the world. The company has 18,000 employees worldwide and has more than 80 brands.
The news of a Hershey expansion comes at a good time for Augusta County. Less than two weeks ago, it was revealed that Wilson Trucking in Fishersville was losing close to 100 employees. The company is being sold to a Texas-based trucking company, Central Freight Lines.
Haymore said Virginia needs to continue to get private sector jobs. He said the commonwealth values the federal government assets, but said it is important for the commonwealth to continue to "be less reliant on the federal dollars."
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More jobs headed to Draft's Hershey plant
Mar 16, 2017 | News Leader
By Laura Peters
Nearly 70 new jobs will be coming to Stuarts Draft due to an expansion at the Hershey Company.
Thank to the Virginia Jobs Investment Program, Hershey will be able to increase production capacity and create 69 new jobs by providing funding and services to help recruit and train new employees, a release said. The program will also provide funding to support the existing 140 employees in that sector to be trained on new equipment.
“The Hershey Company’s most recent production expansion at its operation in Augusta County is a tremendous testament to the Commonwealth’s competitive business climate, infrastructure and dedicated workforce,” said Governor Terry McAuliffe in a release. “The food processing industry continues to play a critical role in our efforts to diversify and build the new Virginia economy. The Commonwealth is proud to boast a beloved global brand like Hershey on its corporate roster, and we look forward to many more years of success for the company in Virginia.”
This marks the eighth expansion for Hershey at its Augusta County plant, which was established in 1980, a release said. In addition, the investment program has supported four other expansions by Hershey, including, most recently, the August 2016 addition of a new product line at the facility in Stuarts Draft, a release said.
“Our plant in Stuarts Draft is critical to our ability to deliver fresh, delicious products that consumers love,” said Dennis Winnett, plant manager at the Stuarts Draft facility, in a release. “As Hershey’s sales continue to grow and we bring more innovative products to market, Stuarts Draft will play an important role in our ability to make these popular Hershey products for consumers all across the country.”
Stuarts Draft is the second largest plant in the U.S. Hershey network and primarily produces products with peanuts, its website said. It employs more than 900 people in the Shenandoah Valley. The company is also the fourth top employer in the county, behind McKee Foods, Augusta Medical Center and Augusta County Schools.
“The Stuarts Draft community and Augusta County are appreciative of our partnership with Hershey Chocolate of Virginia, and we will work hard to support the company’s efforts to expand and thrive in this area,” said Carolyn Bragg, South River District Supervisor for Augusta County, in a release. “Hershey’s longstanding presence is a testament to that partnership.”
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Augusta County and will support Hershey’s new job creation through the investment program, which provides consultative services and funding to companies creating new jobs or experiencing technological change to support employee training activities, a release said.
As a business incentive supporting economic development, the investment program reduces the human resource costs of new and expanding companies. It is state-funded and Augusta County will match the program's funding awarded to the company to support the expansion project, a release said.
More than 35,000 people in the state are employed in the food processing industry, making it one of the state's largest manufacturing sectors, according to Secretary of Commerce and Trade Todd Haymore.
"Hershey is one of the great multi-national companies of the world. It is a continuing honor that Hershey has made a home in Augusta County and that our workers, their workers, continue to justify the investment they made here over 35 years ago,” said Tracy Pyles, chairman of the Augusta County Board of Supervisors, said in a release. “We thank Hershey for being the employer it already is and greatly appreciate this new opportunity for 69 employees of the greater Augusta County area."
Hershey vs. the county in the past
In 2014, the county had to return more than $600,000 in overpaid taxes and interest on money it collected from Hershey Chocolate of Virginia after a settlement in a tax dispute between the two sides was reached.
Hershey filed an application for relief in 2010, claiming the county grossly inflated the value of its Stuarts Draft manufacturing plant by nearly $15 million beginning in 2006. Court records showed the county valued the property at $30.1 million, but Hershey said it was worth no more than $15.4 million and they were seeking more than $400,000.
Hershey said many manufacturers have been forced to close, consolidate or relocate since 2000. The supply of available manufacturing properties exceeds waning demand, according to a court filing, resulting in lower market value for large manufacturing plants, "particularly older and larger manufacturing operations located in rural communities."
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