Barker Makes Plans For Major Expansion
Contact: Barbara McMahon
Barker Company
703 Franklin Street
Keosauqua, IA 52565
319-293-3777 phone
319-293-3776 fax
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 6, 2007
Barker Makes Plans For Major Expansion
Keosauqua, Iowa – Barker Company, Ltd today announced plans to open an additional 50,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Centerville, Iowa. This third facility will compliment the Company’s other manufacturing facilities in Centerville and Keosauqua, Iowa. “This expansion is in response to rapidly increasing demand for our standard, specialty and custom fresh food merchandisers” stated Pat McMahon, President of Barker Company. “In the past several years we’ve introduced several successful new products which have increased our sales by roughly 20% each year. The company’s growth is fueled both by new product introductions and improved market share with existing products” continued McMahon.
The new $7 million facility is expected to open in the spring of 2008. Barker will utilize state of the art mill working, paint and sheet metal equipment to assist in the expansion of the Company’s custom food bar and wood working business segments. The new facility will more than double the company’s production capacity for those products.
The Company expects to add 140 employees to its current workforce of 650 employees over the next 18 months. Approximately 40 of the new employees will work in its existing Centerville facility and 100 in the new facility. The Company’s average wage including benefits is in excess of $22 per hour. “We continue to find a strong workforce in the Centerville area that is well suited to our made-to-order processes” stated Jake Syfert, Vice President of Manufacturing. This new facility closely follows the July 2006 opening of the 100,000 square foot existing Centerville manufacturing facility. Following that opening, Barker Company’s work force grew by 225 people. With the 140 additional employees expected with this newest facility, Barker’s employment level will have almost doubled in the course of three years.
Barker Company is a family owned company dedicated to producing quality, custom display merchandisers for the grocery, convenience store, and food service industries. Our dedicated and flexible employees create innovative and trend setting display cases that keep pace with our customers' changing merchandising needs.
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