MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Residents gathered in a Berkeley County conference center to learn and ask questions about the newest manufacturer coming to the growing Tabler Station business park.
Announced in January as a $190 million investment, the Clorox Company remains in approval stages with the Berkeley County Planning Commission. The proposed plant, if approved, will produce kitty litter brands Scoop Away and Fresh Step.
“We’ve chosen this area because its really close to Interstate 81, which lets us get our great products out to market,” Clorox Vice President of Product Supply Michael Holly said. “It’s also bracketed by the Winchester and Western Railroad which is very important because it’s going to allow us to bring most of our materials in by rail. There’s abundant limestone supply, which is one of our key ingredients. Our assessment also tells us that there is a great, readily-available and skilled workforce.”
The proposed site of the plant is in the same business park as the recently-opened Procter & Gamble manufacturing facility.
Michael Holly
After two public hearings at the Martinsburg Hilton Garden Inn, Holly said the overwhelming majority of community response from those who attended has been positive.
‘We’ve felt nothing but welcomed from Berkeley County and the state of West Virginia and we’re just so appreciative of that. We’ve heard a lot about the skilled and available workforce. Also a lot of training and development resources are available in the area which we’re going to need if this project is approved to hire those 100 employees.”
Procter & Gamble has a similar partnership with Blue Ridge Community & Technical College. The Clorox Company is no stranger to the Mountain State, with other facilities in Mineral and Tucker counties. Those plants produce Kingsford charcoal.
“So we know West Virginia is a great place to do business, we have a great track record and we’re looking to build on that,” Holly said. “We believe in ‘do the right thing’ and that shows up in how we show up in the community through charitable giving. It also shows up in how we believe in sustainability.”
In 2019, The Clorox Company ranked 7th on Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable Companies list, marking its second consecutive year in the top 10.
