$75 Million Investment To Create 85 New Jobs
Stuarts Draft - Governor George Allen today announced that Hershey Foods will expand its manufacturing facility in the Stuarts Draft area of Augusta County, Virginia. The new 200,000 square foot facility will employ 85 additional Virginians, with an initial investment of $75 million.
"Our economic development efforts are off to a fast start in 1997 for hard-working Virginians, especially in the Shenandoah Valley," said Governor Allen. "Hershey Foods has a long history of making people happy with mouth-watering delights. The chief competition for this enormous investment was Pennsylvania. This is truly a sweet success for Virginians."
The expanded facility in Stuarts Draft will make Hershey's world-renowned brands of candy, including Hershey chocolates and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. The new building, expected to be on-line this October, will adjoin Hershey's current facility, enabling four additional production lines to operate.
"Hershey has truly enjoyed doing business in Virginia. Not only do the employees display a strong work ethic, they are highly skilled," said Larry Reitenauer, manager of administrative services at Hershey. "As a result, our safety performance, production level, and quality of work have soared. We anticipate even more success from this expansion."
Governor Allen approved a $200,000 Governor's Opportunity Fund grant to secure the expansion. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the County of Augusta assisted the company with its decision. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide workforce training services.