Success Stories

“The expansion of our operations in Emporia represents a story about the strength of good people doing great work, strong performance and dependable partnerships. Emporia is the place we call home, and we are proud to be part of helping this community grow through job creation.” 
– Jason Beyer, Vice President of Operations, Simmon's Pet Food

“The Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas (RDA) and its director, Kent Heermann, was the first organization to reach out to us proactively when it was announced that Metropoulos & Company and Apollo Global Management were the likely purchasers of the Hostess snack business assets. After a meeting in Kansas City with the Department of Commerce and local officials from Emporia, we quickly received an attractive package of proposals from both the state and local levels. Based in part on those incentives, within a month of that meeting, we agreed that Emporia would be a flagship bakery for Hostess.”
– Executive Vice President, Michael Cramer, Hostess Brands, Inc.

“We are grateful for the strong support the Regional Development Association of East-Central Kansas (RDA) and people from this area have shown for this site.”

– Jim Ludwig, Evergy

“Kansas has been home to Hill’s for more than 60 years, and we look forward to expanding our presence in Emporia to support the continuing growth of our business. This was a rigorous, year-long process, and we greatly appreciate the assistance we received from state and local officials.” 
– Justin Skala, President, Hill’s North America