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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Empire Bakery Commissary Expands Rocky Mount, Virginia, Production Plant

10/16/2018
Empire Bakery Commissary, a commercial producer of ready-made cakes, cookies, and single-serve desserts, will invest $10.4 million to expand its facility in the Town of Rocky Mount in Franklin County, Virginia.

The company has been a Virginia employer since 1997, with nearly 140 employees reporting to the Franklin County facility. The company headquarters is located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The expansion project is expected to create 75 jobs.

“Empire Bakery products help families and friends celebrate life’s important milestones,” said Empire Bakery President Mike Marek. “With this investment and the support of Governor Northam, Secretary Ball and our local partners in Franklin County and the Town of Rocky Mount, we will be able to serve more customers and hire more Associates. We look forward to our continued expansion in the Commonwealth.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Franklin County, the Town of Rocky Mount, the Roanoke Regional Partnership, and the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission to secure the project for Virginia.

Governor Ralph Northam approved a $225,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Franklin County with the project. The Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission approved $140,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds for the project. Funding and services to support the company’s employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

“Empire Bakery is a valuable employer that has flourished in Virginia for more than 20 years, achieving tremendous growth and the sweet taste of success,” said Governor Northam. “We are proud to have a partner like Empire Bakery in Franklin County and I commend the company’s decision to expand and reinvest in Southside Virginia.

“For a major company like Empire Bakery that serves retailers throughout the Mid-Atlantic, location is a key driver in the decision-making process,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. “The company will continue to benefit from the region’s strategic position, with access to two-thirds of the U.S. population within a day’s truck drive. We are thrilled that Empire Bakery has chosen to expand in Virginia, and we are confident that it will continue to thrive in the region.”

“Franklin County is excited to see another local business growing and successful,” said Franklin County Board of Supervisors Chairman Cline Brubaker. “Empire Bakery has become a cornerstone of the local economy since its arrival in 2010, and we as a community are glad that we can help them continue to expand their operations here. Franklin County’s commitment to its local businesses remains, as always, our top economic development priority.”

“Empire Bakery helped to diversify our economy when it opened in Rocky Mount in 2010,” said Mayor Steven C. Angle. “We are delighted that Empire has been such an outstanding corporate partner, over-delivering on the promised number of jobs created and investment made, showing what a great place Rocky Mount is to do business, manufacture and live.”

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