The state has sweetened a baking company’s plans for expansion in Weber County.
Rise Baking Co. LLC announced this spring that it would expand its Pleasant View facility and create 170 jobs there. The Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development, at its September meeting, approved a tax credit incentive tied to 31 of those jobs in the $22.6 million project.
Travis Mauer, senior vice president of supply chain for Minnesota-based Rise, told the board that the 31 high-paying jobs will be across research and development, engineering, and leadership within production and manufacturing, “and hopefully Expansion No. 2 of many more in the state of Utah for us as a company.”
Viking Baked Goods Holding Corp., doing business as Rise Baking Co., was formed in 2013 and produces products for in-store bakeries and foodservice clients, including national grocery chains, convenience stores, QSRs and mass merchandisers. It specializes in cakes, cookies, muffins, icings, pies and crispy bars. Its brands include Brill, South Coast Baking, Table Talk, Best Maid, Henry & Henry and Bakestone Brothers.
The company operates 22 facilities across North America and employs nearly 4,000 people. The Pleasant View expansion announcement in the spring coincided with the announcement that its manufacturing facility in Kent, Washington, would close.
The Pleasant View facility, built in 1994, spans over 142,000 square feet in production and cold storage space. It specializes in cookies and icings. The expansion will add 120,000 square feet.
Mauer told the GOED board that the company is “really excited to continue the investment, not only in that facility but in the community, bringing additional product categories to the facility but also in addition to the new jobs that we’ll bring to the facility, new technology, research and development and advanced equipment for the existing employees within the facility.”
“Our continued investment in Pleasant View reflects the important role this facility plays in Rise’s long-term growth strategy,” Mark McNeil, Rise CEO, said in a news release about the project. “Expanding our capabilities here will help us better serve our customers, strengthen our manufacturing network, and position the business for continued growth. We value our partnership with the state of Utah and Weber County and the opportunity to create additional jobs and contribute to the continued growth of the local community.”
Rise has said the project will significantly increase manufacturing capacity, strengthen regional supply chain logistics, and support rapid customer growth. The project includes significant infrastructure upgrades, from advanced wastewater management systems to energy-saving efficiencies designed to reduce environmental impact.
The state tax credit incentive is for up to $158,195 over 10 years. The project is expected to generate new total wages for the incentivized jobs of $25.4 million and new state tax revenue of over $1 million during that time. The incentivized jobs are projected to pay an average of $82,047.
Jen Wakeland, associate vice president of business development at GOED, said company had considered three or four other locations for the expansion before deciding on Pleasant View. Chris Roybal, president of the Northern Utah Economic Alliance, echoed that assessment.
“Great company. Great location. Lots of different options that this company could have taken besides Northern Utah,” he told the GOED board. “Anytime we see a company that is here and then chooses to make a second or third investment, I think that’s really all the endorsement that we need.”
“Targeted growth in advanced manufacturing remains vital to building a balanced and resilient economy across Utah,” Jefferson Moss, GOED commissioner, said in a news release. “Rise Baking Co.’s capital investment in Weber County expands our production capacity, strengthens regional supply chain logistics, and provides stable, high-paying jobs for local residents over the next decade.”
GOEO does not provide upfront cash incentives. Each year that an incentivized company meets the obligations in its contract with GOEO, it will qualify to receive a portion of the new, additional state taxes the company paid to the state.
