John Potter
Channel 2 News
"Now Foods" comes from Illinois. They first came to Nevada 8 years ago for a shipping facility. Now they're going to make some of their vitamins here. But in Nevada it's really more about "now jobs" than "Now Foods". The state is so desperate for those jobs, Governor Sandoval came to the groundbreaking. Despite our recession, he expects to go to many more. "There are a lot of companies that are actively looking at northern Nevada, the state of Nevada to expand or relocate, so I think we'll see more good news. But every job is a good job."
We asked the Jim Emme, the company's chief operating officer, how many new jobs the new facility will bring. He told us, "Probably 2 to 3 in the beginning when we start training people. But as training comes through, by years end we should have hired 10 at that point."
10 new jobs. And much like the typical warehouse gig, they start at just $12 an hour. But Now Foods says that's just a starting point. They've just begun selling in China, and Nevada provides a closer location to ship from. Emme told us, "Our business in China has doubled, so we're actually filling containers that are normally going back empty, hopefully making up some of the trade deficit."
The project on Vista Blvd. will be the company's first manufacturing center here in the state. Opening day there, as soon as they can finish building it...scheduled for Spring. For the Governor, it's much more than just those 10 new jobs. It's a big boost for construction. "It is, it is. I mentioned that in my remarks. When those trucks are backing up and they make that beeping noise, you know it's a sound I'd like to hear more often."
Help for an industry that has felt the recession more than all others, in what used to be a boomtown of building just 5 short years ago. For those construction workers on Vista Blvd., there was almost nothing else to build. For them, the company's choice of a center in Sparks is a lifesaver.
No doubt, Now Foods looked at several states for this new project. After years of study, it came down to just 2. Who did we win against? Jim Emme admitted to us, "You beat out Arizona!"
