Safe Foods Corporation unveiled a brand new, state of the art, 120,000 square foot facility in North Little Rock on Thursday, October 19. After nearly a year of extensive renovations, the state of the art facility accounts for a $15M investment and an additional 35 jobs for the city.
The North Little Rock property of 22 acres was purchased in November of 2018. This year's expansion also coordinates with the company's 20th anniversary, helping clients eliminate food-borne illnesses around the globe for two decades.
A global leader in food safety management, Safe Foods partners with food processors to deliver solutions and products which reduce pathogens that cause food-borne illnesses. Safe Foods currently has clients in 10 countries and protects over 250 million servings of food per day.
"For the first time in Safe Foods' 20-year history, all of our teams are together under one roof," Safe Foods CEO Chris Coleman said. "This has provided us with unique collaboration opportunities and this facility enables certain efficiencies and integrations that are unprecedented in our industry."
"Our Core Value of Service also influenced our decision-making process for this facility," Coleman went on to say. "We want to serve our neighbors by being involved with the local community through educational and nonprofit partnerships to reduce unemployment and promote economic growth. Finally, we want to serve others by being responsible stewards of our environment, which is why we made the decision to seek LEED certification for this facility. I am excited about the opportunities that this building, and the team that it represents, will provide not only for Safe Foods, but also for our industry, state, and community. Most importantly though, the innovation that happens here will allow Safe Foods to ensure a safer food supply for the world."
The centralized location also provides convenient access to rail and interstate highways. Lewis Architects and Engineers provided overall design services, ECCI served as the project's engineering firm and Nabholz was enlisted as the general contractor.
"I'm grateful for the investment that Safe Foods has made as one of the first companies to take advantage of this area's new Opportunity Zone designation," North Little Rock Mayor Joe Smith said. "This project has supported work for over 400 contractors during the construction and remodeling phase. Safe Foods is just one of many companies moving into the North Little Rock area as a part of the city's larger economic development and revitalization efforts and I know that they will continue to be strong ambassadors for our city and state as they protect food around the world."
In addition to Mayor Joe Smith, Representative Andy Davis, Senators Carlton Wing and Jane English were on site for the event.
For more information visit www.safefoods.net.
