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Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray today joined Senate President Therese Murray, Representative Tom Calter, Housing & Economic Development Secretary Greg Bialecki, local officials and Sysco Boston employees and executives to break ground on the company's new 650,000-square-foot facility. The expansion project will create 75 new jobs, retain 852 existing jobs and leverage over $90 million in private investment. The Administration helped advance this project by awarding a $922,620 MassWorks Infrastructure Program grant for improvements to the Spring Street Roadway in March 2011.
"The new, consolidated MassWorks Infrastructure Program is a streamlined approach to support strategic investments in our cities and towns that will help boost economic development and encourage business growth in Massachusetts,” said Lieutenant Governor Murray. “The Sysco expansion project, along with the MassWorks funded Spring Street Roadway and Traffic Improvement Project, will help create jobs and support a growing business community here in Plympton.”
“This is a great day for the town of Plympton. I want to congratulate the Plympton town officials who, with the help of the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, took quick action to ensure Plympton emerged as a frontrunner in Sysco’s search for a new location after the original site fell through," said Senate President Therese Murray. "It’s because of their hard work and determination that we are celebrating a groundbreaking today and I want to thank them for bringing business growth and new jobs to the community.”
Sysco Boston expects to invest over $90 million of private capital into the project, which is slated to be completed in 2012. The company will use $70 million for construction costs and $20 million to purchase new equipment and machinery. Additionally, Sysco contributed $75,000 to help design the roadway improvements the state is supporting. The infrastructure upgrades include the intersection reconfiguration of Spring Street and Brook Street, the installation of a fully actuated traffic control system at the intersection of the Plympton Industrial Park entrance and Spring Street, and the widening of Spring Street for a left turn lane eastbound at the park entrance. Additional operational improvements will be made to the Mayflower Road/Colchester Street intersection, the Mayflower Road/Brook Street intersection, and the Colchester Street/Brook Street intersection. The MassWorks Infrastructure Program was created by the Patrick-Murray Administration to provide a one-stop shop for municipalities seeking public infrastructure funding to support housing, economic, and community development opportunities.
"The MassWorks Infrastructure Program allows us to invest in our cities and towns while putting people to work immediately and fostering long-term economic development opportunities for the Commonwealth," said Secretary Bialecki. "Through investments like this one in Plympton, the Patrick-Murray Administration continues to position businesses and communities for growth now and in the years to come."
“Sysco looks forward to continued growth as we expand our operations and create more jobs in Massachusetts,” said Fred Casinelli, President of Sysco Boston. “We thank the Patrick-Murray Administration for investing in infrastructure improvements that will support our business expansion plans.”
Plympton, along with Halifax, Kingston, Pembroke, Hanson, Whitman, Bridgewater and East Bridgewater, were designated an Economic Target Area by the Commonwealth in November 2010, allowing the Town to offer a variety of state and local tax credits to companies that create new jobs.
“Plympton Selectmen and others have worked long and hard to develop and promote Plympton Industrial Park. Waiting for the right developer has been a long process resulting today in a win-win situation for the state, for Plympton and for Sysco.” said Representative Tom Calter.
"The town of Plympton is very pleased to have SYSCO coming into our industrial park. It's really a turning point for the town, and we are really looking forward to having them as one of our residents and having a long future with them in our community," said Selectman Barry DeCristofano
Sysco Boston, a subsidiary of SYSCO Corporation, specializes in selling, marketing, and distributing food products to restaurants, lodging establishments, healthcare and educational facilities. It is the largest food service marketing and distribution organization in New England, carrying over 13,000 products for restaurants and foodservice customers. The company has taken a leading role in implementing new agricultural practices to protect the land and environment, including buying locally and selling fresh products from family-owned farms. The company’s success led to Sysco Boston's search for a new facility to help meet customer demand and distribution requirements. Sysco ultimately decided to stay in Massachusetts after a search of both in-state and out-of-state locations.
To learn more about the MassWorks Infrastructure Program and how it is supporting job growth and long term, sustainable economic development, please be sure to visit: www.mass.gov/eohed/infrastructure.
