Allen Harim announced it is in negotiations to expand its investment in the United States through the acquisition of the former Pinnacle Foods (Vlasic) processing facility in Millsboro, DE. The remodeled facility will be state of the art for a poultry processing, cut-up, and cooking operation expected to employ an estimated 700 people. Allen Harim will operate the plant through its Harim Millsboro, LLC subsidiary.
“We are excited about bringing Millsboro into our family,” said Gary E. Gladys, Chief Executive Officer. “The new facility will expand our processing capacity, allow us to introduce new products and hire more employees. This will have a significant economic impact in Delaware, and serve as a symbol of our deep commitment to the United States market with an investment of an estimated $100 million.”
Allen Harim operates poultry processing facilities in Harbeson, DE and Cordova, MD; Breeding operations in Liberty, NC; along with a Hatchery, Feedmill, and Corporate Office in Seaford, DE. It has about 1,400 employees, about 270 independent growers, and 25 company-owned farms. Allen Harim purchased the assets of the former Allen’s in September 2011.
The new facility is expected to begin operations by November 2014.
“This new facility will help us expand into new markets as we continue to operate our existing processing plants and continue our strong relationship with our growers,” said Gary E. Gladys, Chief Executive Officer. “We believe that our base on the Delmarva Peninsula provides a solid foundation for future growth, and this facility fits into that strategy.”
The Company also announced the sale of the Allen Biotech LLC rendering operation based in Linkwood, MD to Valley Proteins, Inc., one of the largest rendering operations in the country. The sale of the rendering operation will allow us to concentrate on our core poultry business operations.
All of us at Allen Harim value and appreciate the support and commitment from the State of Delaware at all levels, including from Governor Markell and the Departments of Agriculture, Labor, and Natural Resources and Environmental Control, and the Delaware Economic Development Office,” Gladys said. “We also appreciate the Governor and Secretary Kee’s trip to Korea, which helped cement the relationship between Harim and Delaware.”
Governor Jack Markell, Secretary of Agriculture Ed Kee, Delaware Economic Development Office Director Alan Levin and U.S. Sen. Tom Carper issued the following statements regarding the announcement by Harim that it intends to purchase the former Pinnacle Foods plant in Millsboro, invest $100 million and employ an estimated 700 people in a poultry processing, cut-up and cooking operation.
“We are pleased by this important expansion by Harim Group in Sussex County,” said Governor Markell. “This decision strengthens Harim’s commitment to Delaware, and it helps many Delawareans in Sussex County who want to work for this growing company.”
“The poultry industry is the backbone of Delaware’s agriculture economy, and Harim is now making it stronger,” said Secretary Kee, who first introduced the idea of purchasing the plant to Harim executives. “Our poultry growers will have more opportunity; our workers will have more jobs and our state will sell more chicken, helping cement Sussex County’s position as the No. 1 broiler-producing county in the nation. ”
“Harim’s decision to expand its U.S. interests here in the First State further emphasizes that Delaware is a great place to grow a business,” said DEDO Director Levin. “Our economy needs a strong poultry industry, and we believe that Harim’s move to Millsboro will go a long way toward fulfilling that goal. ”
“I’ve worked to keep this plant open for more than 20 years, and I was happy to be a part of an all-hands-on-deck effort to make sure we replaced the jobs that could be lost if the plant closed for good,” Senator Carper said. “We started looking for a company that might utilize this fine facility. Our efforts have finally paid off, and I am grateful that Allen Harim will be taking over this manufacturing facility in order to expand its poultry processing operation and eventually restore hundreds of much-needed jobs to Sussex County.”