KS: Simmons Pet Food to Expand in Emporia, Add Up to 80 Jobs

Simmons Pet Food Inc. has announced that it will expand its Emporia pet food processing complex and have a new canning line operating in the fourth quarter of 2014. The expansion will initially create more than 50 new jobs, with the possibility of reaching more than 80 new positions when the line capacity is filled.

“The people of Simmons Pet Food are proud of our commitment to this community,” said Simmons Pet Food President David Jackson. “So too, we appreciate Emporia’s long-standing support of our business. We look forward to prospering together as demand for our products continues to grow.”

“It’s great that Simmons is expanding its operations and creating jobs in Emporia,” Kansas Commerce Secretary Pat George said. “Kansas is enjoying rapid growth in the food processing and pet food processing industries thanks in large part to our strong agricultural heritage and our pro-growth business environment.”

Simmons Pet Food is a leading supplier of custom and private label pet food solutions in the U.S. and Canada. Its new line will increase the processing capabilities of the company’s Emporia facility by more than 240 million cans per year.

“The city of Emporia is excited to hear the news about the expansion at Simmons Pet Foods,” Mayor Jon Geitz said. “We look forward to a continued partnership in the future.”

“We are pleased that Simmons Pet Food is continuing to invest and create more full-time jobs in Emporia,” said Kent Heermann, president of the Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas (RDA). “This is the second expansion in more than a year. In the first quarter of 2013 Simmons added a new production line with more than 30 full-time employees. The city of Emporia with the assistance of the RDA received a $500,000 economic development grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation to fund the majority of paving cost of Warren Way. This improvement will provide better access to and from Simmons Pet east and west buildings and other Park III tenants.”