Allen Harim announced plans to move its corporate headquarters just outside of Millsboro, Del., to the former Vlasic pickle plant it purchased in 2014.
The company hired Delmarva Veteran Builders (DVB), Salisbury, Md., to oversee construction of the new headquarters.
“This is an exciting time for our company, as we approach our 100th anniversary on Delmarva in 2019,” says Joe Moran, president and CEO. “Seaford has been our home for the past century, but it’s time to look forward to the future and where this company is heading. We’ve outgrown our space in Seaford, and this location puts us closer to our processing plant in Harbeson and our brand new hatchery in Dagsboro, which should be finished by next fall. This is an ideal location that gives us an opportunity to create a more modern and efficient workspace, and we look forward to the next 100 years for Allen Harim.”
The project, which is projected to be completed by first quarter of 2018, will involve extensive interior renovations of about 20,000 square feet of space for the company’s 50 employees. Plans call for improvements to the exterior façade, and Allen Harim is exploring the use of solar energy to help power at least part of the facility.
Other uses of the 460,000-square-foot building will include a consignment warehouse operation that will store boxes and other packaging materials from International Paper, Memphis, Tenn., and other vendors used in the Allen Harim production process.
The company is also planning to house a deboning operation in about 50,000 square feet of the facility, where chicken that has already been processed at its Harbeson, Del., processing plant will be deboned and re-packaged for customers. No additional chickens will need to be processed in Harbeson to accommodate the deboning operation.
“This is work that’s already being done outside of the state, and we’re excited to be bringing that work back to Delaware,” Moran says. “We will be creating about 165 jobs in Millsboro and bringing back economic activity to our home state.”
