|
“Our growing toaster pastry and granola bar business demanded additional manufacturing capacity, said Boyle. “Our Chicago facility did not have the available room to put in new lines. To better serve our customer base, we decided to expand into the south central region. We narrowed our search to Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Arkansas. “In September 2007, I was part of a delegation of Chicago-based business leaders investigating Arkansas expansion opportunities,” Boyle continued. “Governor Beebe met with us and shared his vision and commitment to education and strategy for retaining highly skilled workers. The decision was made to locate in Searcy, Arkansas.” Chicago, Ill.-based Schulze and Burch Biscuit Co., founded in 1923, produces toaster pastries,granola bars and other snacks both branded and for leading private label accounts. The company produced the first toaster pastry for General Foods in 1964 as well as the first crunchy granola bar for General Mills in 1976. They operate in a 500,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility on 35th and Racine in Chicago. The company also has a research and development center just outside Chicago. “The arrival of Schulze & Burch in Searcy shows that Arkansas continues to be a desired destination for food-manufacturing companies,” Governor Mike Beebe said. “As word spreads and more industries visit our State, we expect this kind of positive result to repeat itself.” The Searcy Chamber of Commerce worked closely with city leaders, the Governor’s Office, Arkansas Economic Development Commission and Metro Little Rock Alliance on this successful economic development project. “Today’s announcement is an example of our team approach to economic development,” said Buck Layne, President of the Searcy Regional Chamber of Commerce. “The location of Schulze & Burch in Searcy, Arkansas, was made possible due to a number of people and organizations. We want to thank Governor Beebe for the excellent job he does in representing and promoting our state to corporate leaders. We also want to thank the AEDC and the Metro Little Rock Alliance for their assistance with the project A special thank you goes to our Mayor, City Council and other city leaders who worked together to make this project a reality.” “The city of Searcy is excited that Schulze and Burch have selected Searcy as the location for their new manufacturing facility and we welcome them to our community,” said Searcy Mayor Belinda LaForce. “They will be a tremendous asset to Searcy and the White County region.” “The caliber of our local associates has exceeded all of our expectations,” added Boyle. “We are excited to begin manufacturing within the next few weeks.” For more information, |
|
|
|
