Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry announced June 9 that PepsiCo Inc. will invest $180 million to construct a manufacturing and distribution facility in Pryor, Okla., at MidAmerica Industrial Park, creating 280 jobs. The company will produce Gatorade Thirst Quencher, the world's No. 1 sports drink, and Propel Fitness Water, the No. 1 enhanced water on the market.
"Oklahoma is excited about what this announced plant will mean for the state," said Governor Henry. "The facility in Pryor will bring good-paying jobs and a significant economic impact projected to exceed $5 billion over the next several years. In addition, PepsiCo will benefit from a highly skilled workforce known for its unparalleled work ethic and loyalty. This is a win-win for both Oklahoma and PepsiCo."
The building, packaging, processing and warehousing operations will involve an estimated $180 million investment from PepsiCo and the company estimates that this facility will have a $5 billion to $7 billion impact on the economy over the first 10 years of operation. The facility will service the six- to eight-state area in the South Central Region. The plant will ultimately employ 280 people and hiring for some positions will take place as early as January 2007.
"We are pleased to award Oklahoma as the site of our newest plant," said Chuck Maniscalco, president, The Gatorade Company. "Pryor is a wonderful community and an important transportation hub in the South Central Region. We weighed many economic, community and resource factors in our final decision, and we are happy to call Oklahoma home to our ninth manufacturing and distribution facility."
"With the ever-increasing demand for Gatorade and Propel, our business continues to grow at staggering rates," said Jim Lynch, senior vice president of supply chain, QTG (Quaker-Tropicana-Gatorade). "The need for a ninth distribution and manufacturing facility is a testament to that growth and we are excited to partner with the state of Oklahoma to realize that success."
Gatorade was looking at several locations for the new facility and Oklahoma was a late entry into the process. Oklahoma had only two days to prepare a proposal to convince Gatorade officials that Oklahoma was the right spot for their next location.
"This shows that Oklahoma's 'Fast Forward' team can provide the speed and expertise needed to attract companies to Oklahoma," said Amy Polonchek, interim Executive Director of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. "Our team worked with MidAmerica to quickly gather the information that the company needed in order to be considered for the project, and then brought the necessary resources to the table needed to close the deal. As a MidAmerica Board Member, I saw the hard work that all of the team members put forth to bring this project to Oklahoma."
The new facility will be built on a fast-track construction timeline with the intent to be operational in September 2007. The new Gatorade plant will be located on 165 acres on Highway 69A at MidAmerica, west of the existing Covalence (formerly Tyco) plastics plant. The development will have a collective size of approximately 1.5 million square-feet which will include a 400,000 square-foot production facility and a 1.1 million square-foot warehouse/distribution center.
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