Harrisburg, PA – Today, Governor Josh Shapiro announced that Maid-Rite Specialty Foods, Inc., a manufacturer of ready-to-heat meals, was awarded a $451,000 Pennsylvania First Program (PA First) grant to expand its manufacturing operation in Dunmore, Pennsylvania. The expansion will create 75 new jobs over the next three years and retain all 301 existing employees. The award will also include a $150,000 WEDnetPA workforce development grant to train new workers.
Facilities in other states owned by Maid-Rite’s parent company, Premium Brands Holding Corporation, were in competition for the expansion but the funding proposal offered by the Shapiro Administration helped Pennsylvania secure this project and its jobs for Lackawanna County — Maid-Rite’s home for the past 60 years. Premium Brands will invest $40 million into this expansion.
Since January, Governor Shapiro has announced more than $1 billion in new private sector investment in Pennsylvania as a direct result of his Administration’s work.
“Maid-Rite has been a successful part of Pennsylvania’s manufacturing industry for more than six decades and we were determined to keep the company’s production here and support their continued growth and success,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. “The Commonwealth is aggressively competing to attract new businesses and making Pennsylvania a global leader in economic development, and our work is delivering real results. My Administration will continue to make transformational investments like this one in communities across all Pennsylvania.”
Maid-Rite recently began construction on the first phase of the expansion project, which will convert warehouse space for food production. The second phase will construct additional cold storage at the Dunmore site. Maid-Rite suffered the total loss of a nearby processing facility due to a fire in 2021 and was able to retain all those employees at the existing project location. This expansion will recover most of the capacity lost in the blaze.
“The commonsense budget the Governor Shapiro signed into law included a $13 million increase to the Pennsylvania First Program to make Pennsylvania more competitive, and we are thrilled to put those funds to work to assist in retaining and growing Maid-Rite, a business with deep roots in the Commonwealth,” said Rick Siger, Secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development. “The Shapiro Administration will also help the company train new workers and upgrade the skills of current employees through a PA WEDnet workforce development grant.”
Maid-Rite’s multiple manufacturing, warehouse, and distribution facilities in Northeast Pennsylvania serve more than 50 million people within 300 miles of its Dunmore headquarters.
“Maid-Rite appreciates the Commonwealth’s support for the expansion of our primary facility,”said Michael Bernstein, Maid-Rite’s President. “We have maintained operations in Pennsylvania since our inception and this only helps to solidify the partnership with the state and the citizens of our local community. We look forward to furthering this partnership in the future.”
The project was coordinated by the Governor’s Action Team, an experienced group of economic development professionals who report directly to the Governor and work with businesses that are considering locating or expanding in Pennsylvania.
The 2023-24 bipartisan, commonsense budget spurs job creation, invests in manufacturing innovation, cuts red tape for businesses, and provides the funding to make the Commonwealth more competitive on a global scale. For more information, visit shapirobudget.pa.gov.
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