{"id":51310,"date":"2014-05-02T07:43:37","date_gmt":"2014-05-02T12:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=51310"},"modified":"2014-05-02T07:43:37","modified_gmt":"2014-05-02T12:43:37","slug":"lakeview-farms-bringing-200-jobs-to-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2014\/05\/02\/lakeview-farms-bringing-200-jobs-to-area\/","title":{"rendered":"Lakeview Farms bringing 200 jobs to area"},"content":{"rendered":"

Van Wert independent\/submitted information<\/i><\/p>\n

DELPHOS — The loss of jobs when the Reser\u2019s Fine Foods plant in Delphos closed last summer was devastating to the community. Now a hometown business is doing something to bring good economic news back to the community.<\/p>\n

Lakeview Farms in Delphos met Thursday with its employees to announce it will be purchasing the former Reser\u2019s plant in order to consolidate all of its processing operations in Delphos and add approximately 200 jobs to the Delphos economy over the next three years.<\/p>\n

\u201cMuch thought went into our decision to consolidate our food processing and move all of our production home to Delphos,\u201d said Gene Graves, president of Lakeview Farms. \u201cThe decision just made sense.<\/p>\n

\"Lakeview<\/a>\u201cWe are headquartered here in Delphos, we have access to a talented and skilled workforce, we can house all of our production under one roof, and we are able to acquire a facility that provides the space and technology we need to remain competitive in the marketplace,\u201d Graves explained.<\/p>\n

After Reser\u2019s closed last year, Lakeview closely examined the feasibility of consolidating and moving all operations to the Delphos manufacturing facility. After nearly a year of due diligence, it became clear to Graves and his staff that this was the right decision to ensure the future of the company.<\/p>\n

The move will also bolster the local economy, which suffered a major blow when Reser\u2019s closed its doors.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrankly, this announcement could not come at a better time for the City of Delphos,\u201d Graves said.<\/p>\n

Reser\u2019s, which had purchased the facility when Chef Solutions filed for bankruptcy, was the city\u2019s second largest employer and one of the city\u2019s biggest users of water.<\/p>\n

Both the loss of jobs and its biggest water customer had devastating effects on the community\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe announcement by Lakeview Farms to expand their Delphos operations and add 200 new jobs is a testament to the quality of the workforce in the region,\u201d said Jeff Sprague, president and CEO of the Allen Economic Development Group.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are pleased that Lakeview Farms will continue to call Delphos home and fill a vacant facility with 200 new workers,\u201d said John Mohr, JobsOhio president and chief investment officer. \u201cThis is a great partnership between JobsOhio, the Regional Growth Partnership, community leaders and Lakeview Farms; it was this hard work and collaborative effort that made today\u2019s announcement a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lakeview Farms will invest more than $12 million in the former Reser\u2019s building in the form of capital improvements and new technology. The work to retrofit the facility will begin immediately, with renovations scheduled for completion by the end of the year.<\/p>\n

Lakeview will be assisted by a group headed by local contractor and property owner Keith Pohlman.<\/p>\n

As a result of the consolidation, Lakeview Farms will close its Bristol, Wis., facility.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s never an easy decision to move jobs when you know it\u2019s going to impact people\u2019s quality of life,\u201d Graves said.<\/p>\n

Approximately 200 Bristol plant workers will be impacted by the move. \u201cTheir well-being and the well-being of their families is of paramount importance to us,\u201d Graves noted. \u201cThey will be taken care of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Graves said he met with the Bristol staff earlier this week to tell them of the decision to close that plant. Production will continue at that plant, however, to ensure production remains uninterrupted for Lakeview customers.<\/p>\n

Graves said a number of things were taken into consideration prior to Lakeview Farms making the decision to consolidate operations in Delphos. Those included:<\/p>\n