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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Ireland-Based Greencore To Establish Facility At Quonset, Rhode Island, Business Park

03/18/2014
Greencore USA, a convenience food manufacturer and subsidiary of Ireland-based Greencore Group, plans to build a 107,000-square-foot facility, which would house more than 390 employees at Quonset, Rhode Island, Business Park. At final build-out, the new facility could also be expanded another 40,000 square feet, positioning Greencore to employ more than 600 people at Quonset.

"We are pleased to be coming to Quonset Business Park and the State of Rhode Island," said Liam McClennon, CEO at Greencore USA. "In searching for the right location, we wanted to find a place where we could build quickly, have easy access to the major cities on the East Coast, and be in a place where we could grow in the future. Quonset met all those criteria perfectly – it is a world-class facility."

Under the terms of the proposed 50-year lease agreement with Quonset Development Corporation, Greencore will construct its new facility on a 15-acre parcel that is part of Quonset's Site-Readiness program. QDC completed all the permitting and engineering that a developer would have to conduct as part of "due diligence" in order to get a project under way. Greencore will be able to break ground on their facility by May 1 of this year.

According to state officials, the new lease also includes an incentive package providing discounts based on the length of the lease and for job creation and total payroll. The incentive program is the standard incentive offered by the QDC on all future leases. The lease term discount accounts for a 25 percent rent reduction in exchange for the 50-year lease commitment. The employment incentive provides an additional discount based on wages paid by Greencore to its employees in the future.

"We look forward to having Greencore join our growing list of more than 175 companies at Quonset Business Park and having them here for many years to come," Steven J. King, the Managing Director of the QDC, said. "Quonset is the ideal place for companies to grow and succeed. We can help them do it, which in turn will help move Rhode Island's economy forward."

Marcel A. Valois, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation and Chairman of the QDC's Board of Directors, said "The Quonset site-readiness and incentive programs were important factors in securing Greencore as a new tenant at the Quonset Business Park. We compete with neighboring states for business growth and having pre-permitted, shovel-ready land available makes us more competitive."

Quonset Business Park is now home to more than 175 companies, employing approximately 9,500 people in full-time and part-time jobs across several industries. The Port of Davisville at Quonset is also one of the top ten auto-importers in North America.

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