Statement Regarding Hill’s Expansion in Emporia:
From Doug Kinsinger, President/CEO
Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce/GO Topeka.
June 20, 2007

When Hill’s Pet Nutrition announced plans to locate a new pet food plant in the Midwest, the GO Topeka staff and volunteers began working closely with the company to bring the plant to Kansas. To strengthen the competitive position of Kansas communities, the Topeka Chamber strongly supported the passage during the 2007 Legislative Session of SB 240, which allows any qualified manufacturer the use of the single sales factor in calculating Kansas income tax if they invest $100 million in a new plant and hire at least 100 new employees at an above-average wage, by December 31, 2009.

GO Topeka’s incentive offer to Hill’s included benefits of the legislation, as well as a very competitive offer from GO Topeka’s sales tax proceeds.  “We believe our offer,” Kinsinger says, “was very competitive, going far beyond our typical incentive offer.  While disappointed that Hill’s will not be further expanding its presence in Topeka at this time, we are very pleased the new facility will be in Kansas and in our immediate region.”

Said Bob Wheeler, Chairman and CEO of Hill’s, “We appreciate the ongoing support of the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce and GO Topeka and recognize their outstanding work supporting Kansans. Topeka presented a strong proposal, but in the end it could not overcome other considerations, including our need to diversify the placement of our plants to better manage risk from potential disruptions, such as tornadoes.”

“This new plant will strengthen Hill’s, and Hill’s remains strongly committed to Topeka. We employee 884 people in Shawnee County and continue to add jobs and to invest here. In the past five years, we’ve added more than 150 new employees and invested some $100 million in our Topeka facilities, including an expansion project starting this summer in excess of $25 million.”