by Morinville News Staff
Morinville – Two months after announcing it would open a third plant, Champion Petfoods announced it had chosen its partner to build their new kitchen in Auburn, Kentucky. Champion announced Monday afternoon it had chosen Kentucky-based Gray Construction, a leading design-build firm that will assume responsibility for the design and construction of the new custom fitted kitchens.
“We are very proud to invest in Kentucky’s people and agriculture,” said Frank Burdzy, President and Chief Executive Officer, in a release Monday. “Our new custom fitted kitchens will advance our Biologically Appropriate and Fresh Regional Ingredient foods. With their rich family heritage and food experience, Gray is the perfect partner. They are consistently ranked among the top U.S. firms in food and beverage construction.”
The chosen contractor is a nationally ranked engineering, architecture and construction firm with more than 54 years of experience in manufacturing, automotive, food and beverage, distribution, hospitality and retail facility construction. The company has designed and built facilities for Nestlé, T. Marzetti, Sister Schubert’s Homemade Rolls, Inc., McCormick & Company, Inc., and King’s Hawaiian.
Gray Construction CEO Stephen Gray is also looking forward to the project. “To be involved in a project that boosts Kentucky agriculture and the economy in the home state of Gray is nothing but an honour,” Gray said in the same release. “We look forward to helping Champion Petfoods advance the Biologically Appropriate, Fresh Regional Ingredient mandate.”
Champion Petfoods third kitchen facility in Kentucky will service Champions American market, allowing its Morinville facility to focus on growing the Canadian, European and Asian markets for their products.
Auburn, Kentucky, the location of Champion’s new facility, is a rural location 15 minutes outside Bowling Green, Kentucky. The plant, scheduled to be operational in the first quarter of 2016 will join Champion’s Oakville, Ontario kitchen and their Morinville homebase facility to meet global demand for the product.
