Contacts:
Sanders Mitchell
MidAmerica Industrial Park
(918) 825-3500
smitchell@maip.com
Steve Kennedy
Kennedy Marketing & Advertising
(918) 488-1333
steve@km2a.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PepsiCo to invest $180 million at MidAmerica Industrial Park
for 1.5 million square-foot facility
OKLAHOMA CITY (June 8, 2006) -- Governor Brad Henry announced today that PepsiCo, Inc.
will invest $180 million to construct a manufacturing and distribution facility in Pryor, Okla., at
MidAmerica Industrial Park, creating 280 jobs. The company will produce Gatorade Thirst
Quencher, the world’s No. 1 sports drink, and Propel Fitness Water, the No. 1 enhanced water
on the market.
“Oklahoma is excited about what this announced plant will mean for the state,” said Governor
Henry. “The facility in Pryor will bring good-paying jobs and a significant economic impact
projected to exceed $5 billion over the next several years. In addition, PepsiCo will benefit from
a highly skilled workforce known for its unparalleled work ethic and loyalty. This is a win-win for
both Oklahoma and PepsiCo.”
The building, packaging, processing and warehousing operations will involve an estimated $180
million investment from PepsiCo and the company estimates that this facility will have a $5
billion to $7 billion impact on the economy over the first 10 years of operation. The facility will
service the 6-8 state area in the South Central Region. The plant will ultimately employ 280
people and hiring for some positions will take place as early as January 2007.
“We are pleased to award Oklahoma as the site of our newest plant,” said Chuck Maniscalco,
president, The Gatorade Company. “Pryor is a wonderful community and an important
transportation hub in the South Central Region. We weighed many economic, community and
resource factors in our final decision, and we are happy to call Oklahoma home to our ninth
manufacturing and distribution facility.”
“With the ever-increasing demand for Gatorade and Propel, our business continues to grow at
staggering rates,” said Jim Lynch, senior vice president of supply chain, QTG (QuakerTropicana-Gatorade). “The need for a ninth distribution and manufacturing facility is a
testament to that growth and we are excited to partner with the state of Oklahoma to realize that
success.”
-more-
Gatorade chooses Oklahoma site for new plant/PAGE 2
Gatorade was looking at several locations for the new facility and Oklahoma was a late entry
into the process. Oklahoma had only two days to prepare a proposal to convince Gatorade
officials that Oklahoma was the right spot for their next location.
“This shows that Oklahoma’s ‘Fast Forward’ team can provide the speed and expertise needed
to attract companies to Oklahoma,” said Amy Polonchek, interim Executive Director of the
Oklahoma Department of Commerce. “Our team worked with MidAmerica to quickly gather the
information that the company needed in order to be considered for the project, and then brought
the necessary resources to the table needed to close the deal. As a MidAmerica Board
Member, I saw the hard work that all of the team members put forth to bring this project to
Oklahoma.”
The new facility will be built on a fast-track construction timeline with the intent to be operational
in September 2007. The new Gatorade plant will be located on 165 acres on Highway 69A at
MidAmerica, west of the existing Covalence (formerly Tyco) plastics plant. The development will
have a collective size of approximately 1.5 million square-feet which will include a 400,000
square-foot production facility and a 1.1 million square-foot warehouse/distribution center.
“On behalf of the MidAmerica Board, I want to say how honored we are that such a great
company has selected to establish a new production and distribution facility at our park,” said
Sanders Mitchell, MidAmerica Administrator and Board Member. “It really is a perfect fit for us: a
‘mega-deal’ that will benefit from all of our on-site assets as well as our proven logistical
advantages. Every one on our side of the table – especially MidAmerica’s General Manager
Larry Williams and Marketing Director Don Berger – really put in the overtime to make this day
happen. I also want to thank Russell Burton of PepsiCo’s real estate department for his
leadership and commitment to bring this new facility and new jobs to Oklahoma.”
Gatorade® Thirst Quencher, the nation's leading sports drink, is backed by 35 years of research
and Propel® Fitness Water is the nation’s number one enhanced water and the pioneer of the
fitness water category. Gatorade is scientifically formulated and athletically proven to quench
thirst, replace fluids and electrolytes and provide carbohydrate energy to enhance athletic
performance. Gatorade is the official sports drink of the NFL, NBA, WNBA, AVP, Major League
Baseball, Major League Soccer, and numerous professional, collegiate and amateur teams and
events throughout the world, including University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University.
Gatorade is manufactured by QTG (Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade), a division of PepsiCo. For
more information, please visit www.gatorade.com.
MidAmerica Industrial Park is a 9,000-acre manufacturing, processing and distribution center
located south of Pryor, Okla. Founded in 1960, the park now has a 365-acre regional business
airport with a 5,000-foot runway, and owns the wastewater and water treatment plants. The
nation’s largest rural industrial park, MidAmerica is owned and operated as a self-sustaining
public trust established to enhance economic development and job creation efforts in Northeast
Oklahoma. Over 75 firms are located within the park including divisions of eight “Fortune 500,”
ten “Global 500,” and 17 publicly traded companies.
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