FLOWERY BRANCH – One-hundred-and-seventy-five “sweet” new jobs are coming to Georgia according to an announcement made Wednesday by Mars, Incorporated; 155 of them to Hall County, the remainder to Albany.
Based in McLean, Virginia, and having over $33-billion in annual sales, Mars is the parent company of Wrigley, known worldwide for chewing gum, mints and other candy products.
Wrigley has had a presence in Hall County since November, 1971. Its 500,000-plus square-foot plant has become an icon that sits alongside I-985, welcoming visitors from Atlanta into Hall County. Oftentimes the aroma emanating from the facility (Juicy Fruit gum, in particular) tells you the plant is "just ahead" long before you see it.
Increased production of ORBIT gum, combined with the closing of a smaller plant in Toronto next year, has necessitated the need to add permanent, full-time employees to the current 670 associates employed there now.
Factory Director Jim Fitzgerald described the hiring process. “We’ve worked with the Chamber of Commerce and other organizations within the community…we’re making good progress but we’re still looking for more people to join the team.”
Local civic leaders and media personnel were taken on a tour of the operation before the ribbon-cutting ceremony officially launching their new production lines. (If you think the olfactic awareness of the plant is noticeable from the Interstate, you should be inside the raucous complex – you can almost taste the aroma…a true sensory experience.)
Construction activity is conspicuously absent when looking at the plant from the exterior; that’s because the added production lines and staff will work within the existing footprint of the building according to company officials.
But that might soon change as Fitzgerald looks to the future, anticipating more growth for the plant which sits on a site of over 200-acres.
“We’re looking at doing some architectural plans for the next phase of growth that could be occurring at the end of next year,” he said.
“We’re in a great location…and we’re in a great community.”
