MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A Fortune 500 company has announced an investment worth $190 million Berkeley County.
The Clorox Company confirmed Thursday plans to build a manufacturing facility for cat litter brands Scoop Away and Fresh Stop at the Tabler Station Business Park. The site is near the recently-opened Procter & Gamble plant.
“We have just submitted our sketch plans to the county for their consideration,” Clorox Vice President of Product Supply Michael Holly said on MetroNews Talkline. “It’s the initial stage of our application process.”
The project has already gotten the attention of state officials, who applaud Clorox for choosing West Virginia again. Clorox already has Kingsford production facilities in Parsons and Beryl.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am that Clorox is exploring this expansion opportunity in West Virginia,” Gov. Jim Justice said. “Clorox has a proven track record in the Mountain State — both Mineral and Tucker Counties have greatly benefited from having the company’s Kingsford charcoal facilities and all the investments the company has made in our local communities.”
“Thrilled to hear that Clorox is expanding and diversifying their investments in West Virginia with today’s announced investment in Berkeley County,” U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito said. “The Eastern Panhandle continues to prove itself as an ideal location for advanced manufacturing.”
“I’ve said many times before, if businesses give West Virginia a chance we’ll prove to them that West Virginians are some of the hardest working people and they’ll return investments tenfold,” U.S. Senator Joe Manchin added. “I look forward to working with Clorox and providing assistance at a federal level as well as job fairs to ensure a continued successful partnership between Clorox and West Virginia.”
According to Clorox officials, the plant would bring 100 full time jobs to the Eastern Panhandle.
“We’re very excited about it,” Holly said. “In fact, we chose this location for a number of reasons about the site and the people. First of all, it’s really close to I-81 which is going to help us get our products out to our consumers, which is fantastic.”
Clorox selected Berkeley County “due to the local workforce availability, nearby resources, and regional transportation infrastructure – including rail”.
“We’ve seen time and time again that commitments like these enhance the local economy and further develop our workforce,” said Ed Gaunch, state Secretary of Commerce. “I want to thank Clorox for its investments in West Virginia and for exploring this new opportunity.”
In an effort to be transparent about the proposed plant, Clorox has announced public hearings February 15 at 10 am and February 18 at 6 pm. The meetings will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn at 65 Priority Drive in Martinsburg.