By Brice Wallace
Deseret Morning News
First Procter & Gamble and now the Hershey Co.
The Governor's Office of Economic Development Board, fresh from landing a P&G plant for Box Elder County, on Friday approved what they hope is a sweet incentive to land a Western distribution center for the giant candymaking company.
The board also approved an incentive for a food manufacturing facility, and the company said immediately after the meeting that it will put the plant at Business Depot Ogden.
The Hershey distribution center also would be at BDO, and Utah is competing with Arizona and Nevada for the project, which would add 123 full-time jobs.
Hershey issued a statement after the meeting saying it is "evaluating various options as it realigns its distribution network to provide superior customer service. We appreciate the incentives offered by the city of Ogden and the state of Utah. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Economic Development Corp. of Utah and the Governor's Office of Economic Development as we further consider our options."
The state incentive would be a 20 percent rebate of certain taxes the project would create. Its maximum would be $2.6 million. Hershey would be required to keep the facility in Utah 10 years and pay at least 40 percent above the county median wage.
