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Columbus, Ohio – SK Food Group, a custom food manufacturing company serving markets across North America, has announced plans to open a second manufacturing facility in the Columbus Region, investing $18 million and creating 305 new jobs. Hiring for food assembly, maintenance and engineering positions will begin immediately.
SK Food Group plans to lease a 144,000-square-foot facility at 2955-3035 Charter Street in Columbus, in addition to retaining its existing manufacturing plant at 3301 Toy Road in in Groveport. The Columbus facility will house all new employees and include cold-storage for ready-to-eat product manufacturing. The investment will be put toward new machinery, equipment and leasehold improvements, allowing SK Food Group to serve the growth of existing customers and create capacity for new customers.
“SK Food Group has grown significantly since our original Ohio plant opened in Groveport, so we are excited to continue that trajectory here in collaboration with our great partners in the Region,” said SK Food Group CEO Steve Booker. “The Region has provided phenomenal access to our customers in the Midwest, and we have been able to access a great pool of talent here in Columbus.”
Founded in 1942 as a mobile catering company in Seattle, WA, SK Food Group is a leading producer of handcrafted sandwiches, wraps, protein snacks, flatbreads, burgers and more. The company has nine facilities in North America and Canada. It began operations at its Groveport manufacturing facility in 2013, and has experienced strong growth there since, expanding from 250 to 600 employees in less than a decade.
“We are excited that SK Food Group is committing to bringing more than 300 new jobs to the west side of Columbus,” said City of Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. “SK Food Group is a great employer and member of our business community, and we appreciate the new career opportunities that this expansion will create for residents of the City and Region.”
The Columbus Region is home to over 1,700 manufacturing establishments with nearly 90,000 employees, resulting in more than $15 billion in annual economic output. The Region also offers a steady pipeline of young talent, including numerous career and technical training centers that partner with industry to provide the training and skills needed for the modern manufacturer – cultivating talent for both the plant floor and engineering office. Columbus is located in Franklin County, which is home to an estimated 1,323,807 residents.
“SK Food Group’s decision to establish its second facility in the Columbus Region demonstrates the company’s confidence in Ohio’s talent to support its rapid growth,” said JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef. “More than 300 Ohioans will be on the job at the plant, where SK Food Group is currently hiring for positions in food assembly, maintenance and engineering.”
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About SK Food Group
SK Food Group is a custom food manufacturing company serving customers across North America. From humble beginnings in 1942 as a mobile catering company in Seattle, 75 years later it is one of North America’s leading custom food manufacturing companies with 9 state-of-the-art facilities across the US and Canada and more than 2,000 associates. It is a leading producer of handcrafted sandwiches, wraps, protein snacks, flatbreads, burgers and more serving a wide range of customers including Fortune 500 companies, QSRs, airlines, retailers, convenience stores, as well as neighborhood cafés. For more information, visit www.skfoodgroup.com
About City of Columbus, Ohio
The City of Columbus is the 14th largest city in the United States with a population of 913,921 residents. The Columbus economy is balanced with a combination of education, technology, government, research, insurance, manufacturing and health care entities as major employers within the City. Columbus has gained nationwide recognition for its booming downtown, historic neighborhoods, arts and sporting districts, open attitude and a noticeably affordable quality of life. Learn more about the City of Columbus at www.columbus.gov/development/Economic-Development
About JobsOhio
JobsOhio is a private nonprofit economic development corporation designed to drive job creation and new capital investment in Ohio through business attraction, retention and expansion. The organization also works to seed talent production in its targeted industries and to attract talent to Ohio through Find Your Ohio. JobsOhio works with six regional partners across Ohio: Dayton Development Coalition, Ohio Southeast, One Columbus, REDI Cincinnati, Regional Growth Partnership and Team NEO. Learn more at www.jobsohio.com. Follow the company on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
About One Columbus
As the economic development organization for the 11-county Columbus Region, One Columbus’ mission is to lead a comprehensive regional growth strategy that develops and attracts the world’s most competitive companies, grows a highly adaptive workforce, prepares our communities for the future, and inspires corporate, academic and public innovation throughout the Columbus Region. One Columbus expertly guides companies through the location decision process. Through strategic business outreach and customized research, the One Columbus team leverages public, private and institutional partnerships to grow the Columbus Region’s economy and strengthen its national and international competitiveness. Funding is received from more than 300 private organizations, local governments, academic institutions and JobsOhio. Learn more at ColumbusRegion.com.
One Columbus Media Contact
Amy Harman
614-225-6070
ah@columbusregion.com
SK Food Group Media Contact
Dan Barton
614-295-2105
dan.barton@skfoodgroup.com