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Bakery hopes to help Yadkin
Nonni's confirms plan to create jobs
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Published: April 23, 2009
Nonni's Food Co. searched throughout the Southeast and mid-Atlantic regions for the best site for its new commercial bakery.
The Illinois company found enough of the right ingredients in Yadkinville and a former Unifi Inc. plant that its decision "became a no-brainer," Steve Wiley, a vice president of operations, said yesterday.
The company confirmed its plan to create 172 full-time and as many as 100 temporary jobs by the end of 2010. It plans to spend $27 million on establishing its East Coast bakery and warehouse, which includes the $7.6 million it paid for the 400,000-square-foot plant last December.
The bakery also will serve as the "U.S. foothold" for Nonni's parent company, Vivartia SA, which is based in Greece and has operations in 29 countries.
"We liked what we found in terms of infrastructure, availability and quality of work force, cost of doing business, cost of real estate, government assistance with incentives and training," Wiley said.
The company is eligible for $300,000 in incentives from the One North Carolina Fund, which the governor can provide to existing businesses or companies opening operations in the state. Yadkin County is providing a package also worth $300,000 if the capital investment and job creation is completed within three years.
"None of those stood out from the other, but combined they put Yadkinville at the top of the list, along with the reception we've received from the local community and the state," Wiley said.
That includes local residents gingerly prodding Nonni's officials for job information as they ventured out for supplies in recent months.
Nonni's, based in Westchester, Ill., makes biscotti, bagel chips, pita chips and similar products under the brand names of Nonni's, New York Style, Old London and Devonsheer. Wiley said that Nonni's plans to begin production of bagel chips by Sept. 1 and add a line of European-style cookies this year.
The average annual wage will be $29,570, not including benefits -- about $3,400 more than the countwide average in Yadkin.
The company is planning a job fair from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 8 at the Yadkinville campus of Surry Community College, and is accepting applications at local N.C. Employment Security Commission offices. Resumes for management positions in purchasing, warehousing and accounting may be sent to e.norman@nonnis.com.
Select Staffing, with offices in Elkin and Winston-Salem, will handle the hiring of temporary staff.
Wiley said that Nonni's hopes that it will apply some salve to the area's unemployment wounds. The Yadkin County jobless rate was 11.6 percent in February, compared with 5.2 percent in February 2008.
Surry officials said they have been told to prepare for at least 1,000 job-hunters at the job fair.
"There's no doubt the conditions of the job market are working to our advantage because we will be getting access to a large pool of qualified employees," Wiley said. "For some jobs, we will be seeking employees with experience in food preparation. For others, we will be offering training through the community college, and a fork lift is a fork lift.
"We plan to hire as many local contractors and suppliers as possible to expand the reach of this project in the community," Wiley said.
Nonni's expansion hits a sweet spot in terms of Triad economic-development goals.
Food processing has been identified in several studies as a viable industry cluster for the region.
Hubert Gregory, the mayor of Yadkinville, said that the Nonni's decision is "truly a step in the right direction for the community."
"We know that they could have chosen another city in another state, so we're feeling appreciative and blessed that the project is coming here," he said.
■ Richard Craver can be reached at 727-7376 or at rcraver@wsjournal.com.
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