Bob Evans Farms says it is growing its business operations in Clark and Greene Counties. The company is looking at a possible expansion in Xenia and further developing its partnership with Springfield's Global Impact STEM Academy. But that comes after an announcement earlier this year that Bob Evans sold its Springfield sausage plant to a Texas company, cutting 52 jobs in Springfield.
Bob Evans' $4 million transportation center located in Springfield's AirPark Ohio has yielded more than 50 jobs, some paying over $50,000 per year, although the company sold a distribution plant in the AirPark in 2011. The company will also provide $25,000 along with internship opportunities to help the STEM Academy grow.
Corporate Communications Director Margaret Standing believes the potential for growth in Greene County is bright. She adds the company is exploring the possibility of moving operations from a closed Texas food processing plant to Xenia and Michigan.
"And while it's too soon to quantify the possible investment in the Xenia plant going forward, or really to know how many additional jobs it might bring to that facility, we certainly do look forward as I said to many more years of partnership with both Clark and Greene Counties," Standing explains.
Standing says no deadline has been set for deciding whether or not to move processing plant work to Xenia, but the company has moved its corporate headquarters to a new location in New Albany, Ohio.