Governor Doyle Announces Expansion by Nestlé Purina PetCare Company 

For Immediate Release: April 22, 2008
Contact: Tony Hozeny, Department of Commerce, 608-267-9661
Carla Vigue, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2162
Keith Schopp, Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, 314-982-2577

Project to create 20 jobs

MADISON - Governor Jim Doyle today announced $130,000 for Nestlé Purina PetCare Company for an expansion of its Jefferson facility in Jefferson County. The funds are a mixture of $100,000 in Enterprise Development Zone tax credits and a $30,000 Community Development Block Grant training grant.

"Manufacturing is a cornerstone of our economy, and we want to invest in projects that will keep our manufacturing base strong and growing," Governor Doyle said. "I'm pleased that we could help Nestlé Purina PetCare Company undertake a significant expansion in Jefferson."

"We're pleased that this project will allow us to better service our customers as well as meet the increased demand for products made at our facility," said Kirk Lawrence, Jefferson Plant Manager. "It's a strong vote of confidence in our manufacturing team here and a credit to the Jefferson plant associates' commitment to quality."

Lawrence credited Governor Doyle and his Department of Commerce for its assistance in helping bring this expansion project to Jefferson.

Nestlé Purina PetCare Company manufactures pet food products at its Jefferson facility. The company plans to expand by adding a product line, new equipment and a warehouse addition. The company will train more than 107 employees on new equipment. The project is expected to create as many as 20 jobs over the next five years and represent $20-$40 million in new investment.

Nestlé Purina PetCare is a premiere global manufacturer of pet products, with North American headquarters in St. Louis, MO. NPPC's Jefferson facility has been a pet food manufacturing site since 1948, with a long history of producing high-quality, innovative canned pet food products. Jefferson was the first NPPC manufacturing location to produce Fancy Feast brand cat food.

For more information on Commerce programs and services, contact the Commerce area development manager at http://commerce.wi.gov/BD/BD-AreaDevManagers.html.

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