$5.7-million project set at Red Collar
Article Published in The Clinton Daily News – March 20, 2021
Red Collar Pet Foods has announced a $5.7-million expansion at its Clinton manufacturing plant located one mile south of I-40 on U.S. Highway 183.
Greg Wolking, Chief Operating Officer for Red Collar Pet Foods, said a new 85,000-square foot warehouse will be built on the south side of the existing building to help meet the high demand for products made here. “The Clinton plant continues to be one of our fastest-growing plants in Red Collar Pet Foods’ coast-to-coast network,” said Wolking. “When completed, the warehouse expansion enables capacity for future growth which in turn will enable additional hiring.”
Construction is set to begin at end of the year. This comes on the heels of Red Collar expanding its packaging capability here. At the end of 2020, a fourth shift was added and 20 new employees were hired. That brings the total workforce at the Clinton facility to 111.
“Congratulations to Red Collar Pet Foods and the community of Clinton on this exciting expansion,” said Gov. Kevin Stitt. “Oklahoma is an ideal distribution point for the nation because of our central location and proximity to 88 million customers within a 500-mile radius, and Red Collar’s location in Clinton off of I-40 makes them uniquely capable to capitalize on a great logistical opportunity.”
Nationwide, Red Collar has almost 800 employees at its six manufacturing facilities across the United States and its corporate offices in Franklin, Tenn.
“Red Collar Pet Foods is one of thousands of manufacturing operations to find success in our state,” said Scott Mueller, Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce & Workforce Development. “We are excited for the new job opportunities this brings to Clinton and look forward to continuing to work with the company to help them meet their goals.”
Wolking praised Clinton Economic Development Authority Director Roland Mower for his help with the project. “Roland has been a great advocate and advisor on the project,” he said.
In 2018, Red Collar announced it had bought the Clinton plant and four others in the United States from Mars Petcare. Red Collar Pet Foods produces everything from dry dog and cat food to a range of treats. They now have six manufacturing plants located from South Carolina to California, with the closest plant to Clinton being in Miami, Okla. Red Collar Pet Foods is a standalone company, focused on private brands and contract manufacturing with end-to-end capabilities. Since acquisition, it has actively invested in its factories in order to have the capacity for growth.
“This is the news Clinton has been waiting to hear,” said Mayor David Berrong. “With the announced expansion of the Red Collar facility here, we will see the positive growth of our local economy with new jobs, increased payroll and the potential of new Clinton residents.
“This expansion has been facilitated by our economic developer, Roland Mower, as he continues to work on behalf of Clinton to grow our economy at the industrial and retail level. We can be optimistic about our economic future when we see the result of coordinated planning between our industrial partner – Red Collar Pet Foods – and the Clinton Economic Development Authority.”