Editor’s Note: The print version of this article had a headline that stated Nestlé Purina PetCare was going to build a $50 million factory. The correct amount is $550 million. We apologize for the typo.
By Megan Alley
Sun Reporter
Nestlé Purina PetCare announced that it will build a $550 million factory at South Afton Industrial Park in Williamsburg, making it the second company to set up shop at the commerce park since the county started developing the site to lure manufacturers to the area in 2016.
The new factory will be part of Purina’s network of 21 existing manufacturing locations across the United States, and it will be the company’s first new factory built from the ground up since 1975, according to a press release.
Purina is also moving into Eden, North Carolina; in September, the company announced its plans to convert a former brewery there into a new pet food factory.
Purina President Nina Leigh Krueger is quoted as saying, “Purina is excited to be building two new factories in the U.S. over the next few years. . . . Our new Ohio factory will build on our more than 90-year history of making science-based dog and cat foods that pet owners trust. We are grateful for the partnership at the state and local levels, and we’re excited to call Clermont County home and support this great community for a long time.”
Purina’s South Afton Industrial Park factory is planned to be 1.2 million square feet and will produce dry dog and cat food, including Purina Pro Plan, Purina ONE and Dog Chow.
According to a press release, Purina’s new operations will be designed with sustainability at the forefront, including a commitment to send zero waste for disposal, and production processes designed to recover and reuse heat and water.
Purina also plans to make the factory 100 percent powered by renewable electricity in the “shortest practical timeframe,” while supporting the company’s ambition for zero environmental impact in company operations by 2030.
Construction is set begin this fall, and the factory is expected to be operational in 2023.
More than 300 people will be employed at the factory, according to Purina, with jobs that include professional staff, production operators, technical staff and engineers.
County and local officials have been working together to entice Nestle Purina Petcare Company to South Afton Commerce Park.
During its regular session on Sept. 30, the Clermont County Board of County Commissioners approved an Ohio Enterprise Zone Agreement by and between the Board of Trustees of Williamsburg Township, the Board of Commissioners of Clermont County and Nestle Purina Petcare Company.
Per the agreement, Nestle Purina PetCare Company, with main offices located in St. Louis, Missouri, will be given a 100 percent tax exemption for 15 years for the increase in assessed valuation of real property constituting the agreed project site.
The exemptions would need to be taken advantage of starting no later than tax year 2025, and do not extend beyond tax year 2039.
The aim of the exemption is “for the expansion and retention of economic development, as well as, the preservation and creation of employment opportunities within the designated boundaries of the Rural Jobs and Enterprise Zone in the County of Clermont, Ohio, and to direct the Clerk of the Board to forward the aforementioned Agreement by and between the Board of Trustees of Williamsburg Township, Clermont County, Ohio, the Board of Commissioners of Clermont County, Ohio, Nestle Purina Petcare Company, to the Ohio Development Services Agency, the Ohio Department of Taxation, and the Clermont County Auditor,” reads the approved resolution.
Department of Community and Economic Development Director Michael McNamara further explained the resolution to the commissioners ahead of their vote.
“So what this means is that the local school board and Williamsburg Township are offering the tax abatement to a company that they hope will locate at South Afton,” he said. “Taxes will continue to be paid in the same manner that they would always be paid on the current value of the land; the only portion that is being abated for a period of time will be the additional value placed on the land by the developer. The school board will receive annual payments in lieu of the regular taxes for the period of the agreement.”
Williamsburg Township Trustee Barry Henning and Williamsburg Local Schools Superintendent Matt Earley were both present at the meeting, in person and virtually, respectively, and provided comments of support for the agreement.
The Ohio Development Services Agency also approved a Job Creation Tax Credit to support the project.
The history of South Afton Commerce Park can be traced back to February 2016, when it was announced that the Clermont County Community Improvement Corporation, Inc. had purchased 242 acres of land to build the commerce park at Half Acre Road and state Route 32 in Williamsburg Township in order to prepare “shovel ready” sites for manufacturers.
In March 2016, the CIC granted the Clermont County Transportation Improvement District management authority over all aspects of final design and construction for the commerce park’s public infrastructure, which includes installing road infrastructure, water and sewer lines, and putting in underground conduits for natural gas, electric and telecommunication lines.
The total price tag for the project was $7.9 million, including property costs and infrastructure development.
So far, the 17,000-square-foot Design Within Reach facility is the only project to be built on the site. It was completed last summer.
Following the most recent news, County Commissioner Ed Humphrey, who was a commissioner during the county’s development of the commerce park, was quoted as saying, “This finalizes the vision to bring a vibrant industrial complex to Williamsburg Township in Clermont County that will create meaningful jobs to sustain families for years to come. In a challenging time like we have seen in 2020, Clermont County never stopped working, and it has paid off. This will add to the momentum growing on the State Route 32 corridor – a key area of focus for the county’s economic development. I look forward to the continued development and investment that South Afton will encourage for years to come.”