April 7/Journal of Technology & Science -- Hormel Foods Corporation has celebrated the grand opening of Progressive Processing LLC, its new production facility in Dubuque, Iowa. Progressive Processing, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hormel Foods, is the first new production facility the company has built in more than 25 years.

Progressive Processing was built according to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council for environmentally sustainable construction. Hormel Foods has applied for LEED certification and expects confirmation in the coming months. Progressive Processing is expected to be one of the first manufacturing plants -- and the only refrigerated food processing facility -- to be LEED certified at any level. The facility will use at least 25% less energy and water than a plant built to meet current building codes and industry standards and was constructed using materials with more than 36% recycled content. Hormel Foods believes they will recoup the extra cost necessary to construct the environmentally friendly facility during the first two years of operation.

"Progressive Processing is a result of our continued growth, and it incorporates some of the latest technology available for manufacturing," said Jeffrey M. Ettinger, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer at Hormel Foods. "Our goal is to set the food industry's gold standard for harmonizing the impact of operations with the environment, and we believe we have accomplished this with Progressive Processing."

The new facility, located at 1205 Chavenelle Court in Dubuque, will have cost $89 million when complete. It currently employs about 90 team members. At maximum capacity, the company could employ up to 300 people. Additional employees will be hired based on business needs and as additional production lines are added.

From the April 12, 2010, Prepared Foods E-dition