Food maker Clif Bar plans to build a $160 million baking facility in Twin Falls. The California-based company says it will employ 250 people and begin production in late 2016.
City manager Travis Rothweiler says the impact of Clif Bar coming to town will be huge. He's excited about the new jobs, and he thinks Clif Bar will be an excellent corporate citizen. Rothweiler says the company treats employees well and likes to be involved in communities where it operates.
Twin Falls worked hard to woo the maker of energy bars and gels. Rothweiler says the city gave Clif Bar a $25 million incentive package.
“What we’ve pledged is that we’d provide the infrastructure,” Rothweiler says.
The infrastructure improvements include a new water storage facility, enhancing and expanding roadways and moving water and sewer lines.
“There’ll be multiple beneficiaries including our citizens,” Rothweiler says.
He adds the city will get its money back eventually through the company’s property taxes.
Most of the $25 million comes from Twin Falls’ urban renewal agency with other money coming from city reserves and $1.8 million from the Idaho Department of Commerce. The state Department of Labor has also pledged up to $4 million for workforce training.
Rothweiler says the city learned a lot about promoting itself from courting yogurt maker Chobani which opened a plant there late last year. He says Twin Falls learned to sell itself on things like low utility and tax rates but also on less tangible benefits like commitment to sustainability, natural beauty and recreational opportunities. The College of Southern Idaho's workforce training program, Rothweiler says, has also been a big plus for food processors.
This is the second announcement of this kind for the Magic Valley this week. Portuguese company Frulact plans to build a fruit processing plant less than 50 miles down the road in Rupert, which it says will employ 100 people.
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