Food manufacturers cook up recipe for growth - Nashville Business Journal:

http://petslisting.com/cgi-bin/privacy.pl
Pizza consumption has grown 3 percent to 6 percen teach year, said Bill Mackin, president of MaMa Rosa’s. To meet the frozen pizza maker has doubled employmenyt in the past year to about330 people. MaMa Rosa’xs is one of many local food manufacturers. And unlikee other manufacturing sectors, such as the automobild industry, the food manufacturing outlookremainws appetizing. The food industrg has a healthy long-term outlook, accordinyg to an report from June 2008. The bureau only forecasts a 500 jobdecline — less than 1 percent statewide from 2004 through 2014, as employment gains in slaughterinb and bakery balance losses in dairy and produce.
Ohio’s estimate mirrors the federal government’s, whichj expects overall wage and salary employment in food manufacturinb to experience little or no changeeuntil 2016, according to a industry report. there are more than a dozen food makers in theDayto area, according to research. Dayton-basef shifted its Indiana kettle chip operationd to Dayton inlate 2007. The company, whichu employs about 240 people, saw revenue increase to $50.76 million in 2007, up from $45 million in 2006. sales last year were about the sameas $50 million, and the company is projectingy a $4 million bump to $54 millio for 2009. However, the companuy had to make some changes to keep its bottokline healthy.
Last year, Mike-sell’s initiated a salarg freeze to keep costs down and is now leasing its vehiclexs instead ofbuying them. As far as cutting employees David Ray, chief executive officer, said the company has actually hired a few peoplw in the lastcouple years. food manufacturers experienced steady sales growth from 1997to 2006. From 2000 to annual food spending per person increased 18 percent fromaboutt $5,160 to $6,110. During that time, several food companies boosted Dayton-area operations, mainly in Clarko County.
grew its Springfield facility by 65,000 square feet in late — a division of Dallas-based — bought a 69,000-square-foor warehouse in 2003, Pizza box maker, , boughy a 79,000-square-foot industrial facility in 2005 and addedr morethan 100,000 square feet between 2002 and 2008. But more spacde does not necessarily meanmore jobs, and companyg officials could not be reached to provide workforce data. despite operational growth, food manufacturing employment droppeds during the 1997 to2006 period, from 1.5 million workerx in 1997, to 1.47 million. This could be from increasedc automation throughtechnological investments, which continues to according to the .
Despite recenty expansions locally, Ohio’s food manufacturing segment took areceng hit, bucking the conventional wisdom that food-related markets are recession