The Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN) announced Monday that Mary's Gone Crackers®, a manufacturer of organic and gluten-free healthy snacks will be opening a manufacturing and R&D facility in Reno, Nevada. The company headquarters will also be relocated to this site with plans to be operational by this fall. Mary's Gone Crackers intends to hire over 200 employees by the end of 2017. They were awarded business incentives in March 2016.
"We've had issues with getting enough employees and this looked like a really good workforce," Mary Waldner, Founder and Chairman of Mary's Gone Crackers said. "So, that was certainly one factor. The space, too, that we could build our own building."
Mary's Gone Crackers was founded in 2004 and today is the #1 selling organic and gluten free cracker brand in the United States with exports to Canada, Mexico, UK, EU and Australia. Their products are available nationally at natural, specialty and mainstream grocery and club stores. The company was founded and inspired by a shortage of nutritious, gluten free options that taste good. They have become popular not only with those affected by celiac disease but also with consumers eager for delicious snacks that they can feel good about eating. The company received the Sofi Gold award for the most outstanding cracker at the New York Fancy Food Show.Â
"Today, nearly 30% of adults in this country are actively trying to reduce or eliminate gluten from their diets. This is not a fad. It's a $15 billion movement," Waldner said. "We bake organic, gluten-free, vegan crackers, cookies and pretzels with whole grains, flours and seeds that are full-flavored, crave-able and deeply satisfying."
Dozens of manufacturers have moved to the Truckee Meadows in the last two years. In the past four years, nearly 50 companies have either expanded or relocated to our community. It is part of an effort to diversify the economy of the Silver State.Â
Governor Brian Sandoval says there are many reasons why that sector is growing.
"Its a place where you can raise a family, a place where you can get a quality workforce," Sandoval said. "We have low taxes, pretty affordable housing, the school system is improving, a great university, just limitless in terms of outdoor activities."
Construction is underway at the company's new facility. Once it is completed, the 420,000 square-foot building will come with an investment of about $35 million in construction and equipment.
"That's quite an investment and it really makes my heart feel good when I drive by and see everything really moving and the construction industry is booming, right now," Sandoval said.
"Northern Nevada's economic recovery depends on putting our community back to work," said Reno City Councilmember Paul McKenzie, representative of Ward 4, where the new facility will be located. "Mary's Gone Crackers is committed to bringing hundreds of jobs to our area, and we're excited to see them contribute to Reno's growth." Craig Fraser, the company's Vice President of Human Resources, said, "EDAWN has been a great partner as we begin the recruitment process. We have already hired 10 new roles, including key managers to lead this expansion."
"We are excited that Mary's Gone Crackers has selected Reno for their new manufacturing operations and the place to be for their dramatic projected growth," said Mike Kazmierski, CEO of EDAWN. "The fact that they also chose to move their headquarters here is significant and shows that they intend to be here for the long term. I look forward to tasting their healthy snack offerings," he said.
The new bakery will be located in the North Valleys Commerce Center.The state-of-the-art facility developed by the Cal Logistics Platform, which is a joint venture of Panattoni Development Company and CalSTRS, and built by Alston Construction, will be a green building that will be a healthy, resource-efficient and cost effective workplace. Â
"A lot of times, we'll build these on speculation, without a tenant, not knowing who's going to go in there," Doug Roberts, Partner of Panattoni Development Company said. "So, in this case, we can build it from ground up, custom tailored to their needs and know that we have a good company going in there."
When completed, the project will be submitted to the U.S. Green Building Council for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) status. Consistent with current operations, the company will work with the Occupational, Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to qualify for the onsite Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). VPP promotes effective worksite based safety and health via a comprehensive management system.
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Other local partners who assisted Mary's Gone Crackers with their decision are the Governor's Office of Economic Development (Brad Mamer, Cory Hunt, Ryan Smith), Newmark Grubb Knight Frank (Brad Linquist, Chris Volney, Yasushi Shiromi), Dickson Commercial Group (Scott Shanks), Kidder Mathews (Michael Hoeck), The Applied Companies (Jim Annis), Nevada Job Connect, Nevada Industry Excellence (Sandy Haslem, Rhea Gustafson), NV Energy (Johnny Hargrove), Truckee Meadows Community College (Deb O'Gorman, Jim New), French Gourmet (Rob Sredl), Kimmie Candy (John Dutra, Sonia Griffin), Now Foods (Nancy Recchio, Mardie Crawshaw), Nutrient Foods (Mark Roark) and Pacific Cheese (Bob Chevalier, Karla Rice).Â
In 2012, Mary's Gone Crackers sold a majority stake of the company to Kameda Seika, Co. Ltd., Japan's largest manufacturer of rice crackers.
(EDAWN contributed to this report.)
