Pennsylvania DCED: Wegmans to Expand Distribution Center, Create More Than 200 Jobs

News provided by

Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development

Aug 17, 2011, 03:01 ET

CASS TOWNSHIP, Pa., Aug. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary C. Alan Walker today toured the Wegmans Retail Service Center, where the company plans to invest $65 million to double the size of its distribution capacity and create 217 new jobs.

"Job creators like Wegmans are not only a driver of our economy, but the backbone of communities across Pennsylvania. This expansion project will create more than 200 jobs in Schuylkill County," Walker said. "The Corbett administration is committed to making sure employers like Wegmans have the resources they need to grow and create jobs in Pennsylvania."

The $65 million project will create at least 217 jobs within the next three years. Wegmans will add 500,000 square-feet of space to its existing 415,000-square-foot retail service center in Cass Township. The company also plans to make significant capital investments in equipment and employee training.

"As we've added new stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and Maryland, we have increasingly relied upon our Pennsylvania Retail Service Center to support that growth," said President Colleen Wegman. "We are grateful to Governor Tom Corbett, DCED Secretary C. Alan Walker, and the Governor's Action Team for their efforts to help us expand our Retail Service Center. We also want to thank Frank Zukas and the Schuylkill Economic Development Corporation, Congressman Tim Holden, Senator Dave Argall, and Representative Neal Goodman for their support in helping to make our vision a reality."

The project was coordinated by the Governor's Action Team or GAT, a group of economic development professionals who work directly with businesses that are considering locating or expanding in Pennsylvania. GAT provides site selection assistance, coordinates the involvement of other state agencies as needed, and packages the appropriate economic development funding for the project.

The company received a $731,650 funding offer from the Department of Community and Economic Development, including a $200,000 opportunity grant, $97,650 in job training assistance and $434,000 in job creation tax credits.

Headquartered in Rochester, New York, Wegmans is a privately held, family-owned company, founded in 1916 by the Wegman family. The company currently operates 14 stores in Pennsylvania; employing more than 7,000. These and other Wegmans stores are serviced by the retail service center facility in Schuylkill County that the company plans to expand.

For more information on Wegmans, visit www.wegmans.com.

For more information on the Governor's Action Team and other Department of Community and Economic Development programs, visit NewPA.com or call 1-866-466-3972.

Media contact: Steven Kratz, 717-783-1132

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development