Godshall’s unveils expansion with 'bacon'-cutting event, adding 60 new jobs to Lebanon
A giant replica slice of bacon was cut Tuesday morning commemorating a large-scale expansion to the Godshall’s meat processing facility in Lebanon.
Local politicians and community members like county Commissioners Jo Ellen Litz and Michael Kuhn, state House Representatives Frank Ryan and Russ Diamond, Mayor Sherry Capello and Chamber of Commerce President Karen Groh gathered in a small tent in the parking lot to share words of support and awards for the growing business.
"Thank you for investing in Lebanon County. We appreciate all the jobs you provide and the taxes you pay," Litz said. "That's how we keep this county going, I'm just going to be frank."
The plant, located at 1415 Weavertown Road, will be doubling in size once the $74 million expansion is complete.
The expansion comes after a fire in 2016 that damaged much of the plant, including smokehouses and production space, forcing the company to scale down the capabilities on the raw meat part of the process.
"We had very small production capabilities on the raw side," said Godshall's President Ron Godshall, "so this expansion here is all about raw storage, freezer space, warehousing for those raw materials, and then three processing lines to get the product ready before it goes into the smokehouse."
In addition to the new storage spaces and production lines, a modern microwave thawing system with the capacity to thaw 10,000 pounds of meat per hour has been added to further capacity. Previously, the facility was thawing meat the old fashioned way.
The expansion will also include amenities to support the plant’s workforce with new bathrooms, lunchroom, locker room, and staff support center.
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New offices for IT and sales support are being added. The factory will also integrate advanced robotics along with green initiatives like solar power and energy reclamation devices.
To accommodate for food safety and modernization, sections of the plant, which dates back to the late 1800s, had to be knocked down.
The first phase of the expansion, which will open one production line, sections of warehouse space and raw storage as well as the thawing microwave and the updated workforce amenities, kicks off next month.
Once construction is complete, the plant will stand at about 150,000 square feet and add 60 new jobs to Lebanon County.
Currently, the plant is trying to fill positions related to its expansion in both skilled and unskilled fields. Visit godshalls.com/careers/ for more information on employment.
Daniel Larlham Jr. is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at DLarlham@LDNews.com or on Twitter @djlarlham
This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Godshall's expansion adds 60 new jobs to Lebanon County
