Gorton’s Seafood plans $89 million production facility in Lebanon – Indianapolis Business Journal
Gloucester, Mass.-based Gorton’s Seafood plans to build a 110,000-square-foot production facility in Lebanon, where it plans to employ 163 workers by 2029, Boone County and County officials announced Tuesday. the city.
The frozen seafood producer’s $89.3 million facility will be located at 419 S. Mt. Zion Road, next to the United States Cold Storage Warehouse in the Lebanon Business Park .
“Lebanon is proud to welcome Gorton’s to our city,” Mayor Matt Gentry said in a written speech. “This approval signifies Lebanon’s attractiveness as a business destination and also highlights the strength of Indiana’s place in the food manufacturing and agribusiness sectors.”
Gorton Human Resources Director Chelsea Cote told Lebanon City Council members Monday evening that the company plans to break ground on the facility in March. She said the plant will include three seafood processing lines, with the first production starting in September 2025.
Once production begins, Cote said Gorton’s will work closely with Camden, N.J.-based United States Cold Storage, which is planning a $38.4 million expansion of its adjacent facility that will add 60,000 feet squares and will create 30 jobs. Gorton’s and USCS have worked in partnership for more than 40 years, she said.
Council members unanimously approved a tax reduction plan that will reduce property and personal taxes on Gorton facilities by 50 percent over the next five years.
According to abatement documents, Gorton plans to spend $34.6 million to build the facility and $54.6 million to equip it with new manufacturing, logistics distribution and information technology equipment. . The facility’s total annual payroll is expected to be nearly $9.8 million.
Cote said employees will work four days and 10 hours with wages starting at $26 an hour. Jobs will be available in food production, quality control, sanitation, warehousing, mechanical and electrical maintenance, and engineering.
Gorton’s currently employs approximately 470 people at its locations in Massachusetts and Ohio, as well as in field sales throughout the United States and Canada. In terms of number of employees, the Lebanon plant will be the company’s second-largest location, after its Gorton’s seafood plant in Gloucester, Massachusetts, which employs more than 300 people.
The main production systems at the Lebanon factory will include industrial microwaves, frozen fish cutting and slicing, batter and breadcrumb coating, fryers, spiral freezers, weighing and packaging automatic, as well as automatic palletizing.
“Our investment in this new facility in Lebanon, Indiana, will allow us to continue our mission of making quality seafood accessible to everyone,” Kurt Hogan, CEO of Gorton’s Seafood, said in written remarks. “We look forward to building a strong partnership with the Lebanon community, as well as the state of Indiana, for many years to come.” »
Gorton’s was founded in 1849 as John Pew & Sons. After several name changes, the company became known as The Gorton Corp. in 1965 and is now called Gorton’s.
Gorton’s merged with General Mills in 1968 and was sold in 1995 to British consumer goods company Unilever PLC. The company was sold in 2001 to its current owner, Nippon Suisan Inc., a subsidiary of the Japanese company Nippon Suisan Kaisha Ltd.
Gorton’s introduced its most famous product, the frozen fish stick, in 1953. The company is also known for its trademark “Man at the Wheel” depicting a fisherman in a yellow raincoat.
