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Shamrock Farms announces its Verona manufacturing facility will expand, add more jobs

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Shamrock Farms announces its Verona manufacturing facility will expand, add more jobs

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VERONA — Shamrock Farms announced Tuesday afternoon that it will be expanding its manufacturing facility at Verona’s Mill Place Commerce Park.

The Arizona-based dairy product manufacturer, which opened the Augusta County facility in 2014, will invest $59 million to expand to a third filler line in Verona. The plant currently employees 170 people and, with the expansion, plans to add 28 new jobs and 81,000 square feet to the company’s existing 250,000-square-foot facility.

“There’s still room to expand beyond that,” said Shamrock Farms’ Chairman and CEO Kent McClelland. “This is just the first phase. We can certainly add more as time goes on.”

However, McClelland said there weren’t plans, at this time, to expand further.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr were among those on hand for the announcement outside of the Verona facility.

“Both (Lohr) and I smile a bit brighter when, not only do we have a moment where a company expands in Virginia,” said Youngkin. “But one in our agriculture industry is particularly exciting.”

The timeline to complete the expansion is by the fall of 2025, a year from now. Shamrock President Devon McClelland said the hiring of new employees will come in segments. First they will hire people to run the filler line, then additional employees to work in the warehouse and finally quality control and maintenance employees for a total of 28.

Shamrock Farms branded products are available across all 50 states and sold in 135,000 retail grocery and quick-serve restaurants, including Kroger, Ahold, Publix, Dollar General, Circle K and 7-Eleven.

“I deeply appreciate the partnership with Augusta County,” Youngkin said. “As Del. (Chris) Runion said, it is these moments when we come together across local government, state government, economic development authorities, passionate people about growing opportunities that amazing things can happen.”

Augusta County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff Slaven said companies like Shamrock, and this expansion, not only add to the economic well-being of Augusta County, but to a positive working atmosphere in the community.

“We’re here because of a working relationship between this county and Shamrock,” Slaven said. “Obviously a successful one. Ten years ago they came to this spot and they’ve proven to be an anchor for this commerce park. An anchor.”

This project marks Shamrock’s second major expansion in Augusta County, following a $40 million investment in 2017 that created more than 70 jobs. 

Devon McClelland said he’s impressed every time he visits the Verona facility.

“It’s always so clean and well organized,” he said. “It just really sets the bar for what good looks like at a company. I have so much pride walking these floors, walking this facility.”

The Shamrock president said Augusta County is everything companies look for in a business partner.

“They’ve been supportive, easy to work with, they communicate really well,” McClelland said. “Collaborating with you all just reiterates and validates why it is we made a decision to come here 10 years ago.”

Shamrock Farms is a fourth-generation, family-owned business established in 1922 in Phoenix, Ariz. It has grown into one of the largest family-owned dairy businesses in the nation. The company employs approximately 6,000 people nationwide with two manufacturing plants. The Augusta County facility focuses on producing extended shelf-life dairy products and serves markets across the East Coast. 

The expansion project will increase the facility’s manufacturing capacity by reconfiguring space to accommodate a new production line and adding incremental cold storage.

As a result of this project, over the next four years, the company will purchase an additional $32,875,466, or 16.555 million pounds, of milk from Virginia dairy cooperatives. McClelland said Shamrock sources from over 120 dairies in Virginia.

— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Connect with Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and on Instagram @hitepatrick. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.

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