PHOENIX – SK Food Group Inc. (SK Food Group), a Premium Brands company and leader in the manufacturing and wholesale food sales industry with two U.S. and two Canadian locations, announced today that it will expand its operations into Arizona. The new 212,000-square-foot manufacturing facility will be located in the City of Tolleson and will create 550 projected new Arizona jobs.
“We are very excited to be locating our next facility in the greater Phoenix area,” stated SK Food Group President and CEO Steve Sposari. “The emerging consumer and industry trends driving our growth are significant, and this new facility will help us to continue with our steady growth. The logistics infrastructure and access to available labor made the decision relatively easy for our management team to invest in the area. We look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with the greater Phoenix area while at the same time becoming a model corporate citizen.”
“SK Food Group is the latest in a string of manufacturing wins for Arizona,” said Governor Doug Ducey. “I had the pleasure of meeting with SK Food Group’s leadership during a CEO Forum earlier this year and discussing the unique benefits Arizona offers to manufacturers, including infrastructure and affordable operating costs. I’m thrilled to officially welcome them and I am confident they’ll find success in Arizona.”
Executives from SK Food Group visited Arizona to attend the Spring Training CEO Forum in March of 2016, where they met with Governor Ducey and several of the Arizona Zanjeros.
“Under Governor Ducey’s leadership and through our partnership with the Arizona Commerce Authority, the mission of the Arizona Zanjeros is to help bring companies like SK Food Group to our state,” said Michael Bidwill, Arizona Cardinals President and Zanjeros co-chair. “Choosing the next location to grow a business is a major decision. The CEO Forum Programs are a helpful tool for executives during that decision-making process, and the announcement that SK Food Group has chosen to locate in Arizona emphasizes that.”
The company chose to locate in Tolleson due to availability of a shovel ready site that will contain a build to suit facility. The City of Phoenix will partner with Tolleson to help provide talent recruitment assistance.
“As a Council, we pursue opportunities to provide our residents, as well as those strewn throughout the entire region, with quality jobs,” said Tolleson Mayor Adolfo Gamez. “SK Food Group’s organizational culture is kindred to that of the City of Tolleson in which family, friendship, and corporate relations reside in every moment of truth. SK Food Group promises more than 500 jobs to our region and is a welcomed addition to the Tolleson family of corporations. Our organization stands ready to ensure that SK Food Group enjoys the swift speed to market for which Tolleson is renowned and honors their commitment to our community.”
“The new SK Food Group facility will create hundreds of manufacturing jobs in Arizona as well as make a significant capital investment in our community,” said Sandra Watson, Arizona Commerce Authority President and CEO. “Several other Southwestern states were under consideration for this project, however Arizona’s advantages for business plus our collaborative, proactive effort to bring SK Food Group to our state won out.”
“SK Food Group joins a robust cluster of manufacturers who have recognized the benefits of doing business in Greater Phoenix,” said Chris Camacho, president & CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. “The region’s pro-business climate offers the infrastructure necessary to support SK Food Group’s manufacturing operations, including access to their customer base and the availability of a large, talented workforce from which to hire.”
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton applauded Sposari for choosing the Metro Phoenix region, and for his company’s focus on helping “opportunity youth” – young people ages 16-24 who are not currently in school or working.
“SK Food Group should be commended for their focus on helping opportunity youth and for giving young people a leg up and a chance to succeed,” Stanton said. “This is exactly the type of company we want in our region because they came in the door asking how they could best show their commitment to our community.”
SK Food Group engaged commercial real estate advisory firm Newmark Grubb Knight Frank’s (NGKF’s) Global Corporate Services division (GCS) to assist in its site search to expand its operations.
Bob Hess, Executive Managing Director in NGKF’s GCS practice said, “After an exhaustive search of the Southwestern United States and in close collaboration with our partner Global Food Properties, Arizona state, regional and local authorities came together with the most competitive, sustainable and efficient location solution for SK Food’s unique business needs.”
