Harrisburg, 15 October 2008 - Governor Edward G. Rendell announced today that state investments helped one of the world's largest agricultural processors cut the ribbon on a new cocoa processing facility in Hazleton, creating at least 210 jobs within three years.
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to celebrate the opening of its new, 500,000-square-foot facility, which is built on 74 acres of land at Humboldt Industrial Park. Twenty-two employees are already working at the plant, which will handle ADM’s East Coast cocoa operations, including bean grinding, chocolate production, and cake milling.
“This is the type of competitive project that could easily have been located elsewhere, and without the aggressive economic development efforts of the Governor’s Action Team, it might have,” said Governor Rendell. “Instead, Pennsylvania will benefit from the large private investment and the hundreds of family-sustaining jobs that will be coming to Hazleton.”
ADM, headquartered in Decatur, IL, is a global leader in cocoa processing. In addition to its new Hazleton facility, ADM Cocoa has plants in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
CAN DO Inc. helped ADM in obtaining a $4.6 million funding offer from the Department of Community and Economic Development that includes a $925,000 opportunity grant, $2.5 million in infrastructure development program funding, $1.05 million in job creation tax credits and $100,000 in job training assistance.
The company is also eligible to apply for a $5.25 million loan through the Citizens Job Bank program, which offers low-interest-rate loans to companies that commit to creating or expanding jobs in Pennsylvania.
“CAN DO is proud to have played a role in the location of Archer Daniel Midland’s newest cocoa processing plant to Humboldt Industrial Park. Our agency looks forward to providing ADM’s local management with support for years to come,” said Kevin O’Donnell, president of CAN DO.
The company’s project was coordinated through the Governor’s Action Team, economic development professionals who serve as a single point-of-contact for businesses considering locating or expanding in Pennsylvania.
Since 2003, GAT has successfully completed 1,036 projects statewide. The projects represent commitments for 109,894 new jobs and 254,820 retained jobs. The commonwealth has offered $2 billion in funding to these projects, which will leverage more than $12.6 billion in additional investment.