Clemens Food Group is investing $250 million in a new, 550,000-sq.-ft. (51,000-sq.-m.) pork processing facility in Coldwater, Mich., that will create about 800 jobs. The Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) approved $12.5 million in Community Development Block Grant funds for the City of Coldwater for infrastructure improvements, land acquisition, workforce development and on-the-job training. The Pennsylvania-based Clemens Food Group is a sixth-generation, family-owned integrated pork production operation including farming, processing, transportation and logistics. The company has 2,200 employees.
Clemens considered both Michigan and Ohio for a Midwest expansion of its pork processing operations, choosing Michigan for the location of the facility based on the state and community support as well as site feasibility and labor force preparedness.
A key to the success of the project was the collaboration of Coldwater and Coldwater Township on a land transfer agreement. The transfer will allow the City of Coldwater to contribute $4.5 million toward the project for infrastructure improvements at the site, including water and sewer main extensions and a new municipal electric overhead distribution line. That support, along with MSF’s CDBG approval, is part of an overall package of local and state support that will total $55 million. This also includes nearly $16 million in tax savings as a result of the recently approved personal property tax reform.
