Members of the Lamb Weston Holdings team met with community and civic leaders on October 16 to celebrate the completed expansion of the company’s potato processing operations in Richland, Washington, USA. The $200 million investment announced in 2016 adds a new line to the existing facility, increasing its frozen french fry production capacity. The expansion adds approximately 150 jobs to the local economy.
During a special grand opening ceremony, Lamb Weston President and CEO Tom Werner was joined by Washington State Senator Sharon Brown of Richland, Tri-Cities Economic Development Council (TRIDEC) President and CEO Carl Adrian, and Lamb Weston Richland employees to commemorate the occasion.
“This expansion allows us to build on our presence here in Richland, while increasing our capabilities so we can grow with our customers around the globe,” said Werner. “We’re proud to be a part of the community in the Tri-Cities, and we’re especially grateful to our community partners who worked with us to make this expansion a reality.”
The 290,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art expansion boosts output capacity by approximately 300 million pounds annually. More than 600 employees at both the existing site and expanded facility are now able to make 600 million pounds of frozen french fries annually.
Eagle, Idaho-headquartered Lamb Weston partnered with several officials and organizations in the Tri-Cities and Washington to establish plans for project. In accomplishing this goal, the company expressed appreciation for efforts made by Governor Jay Inslee’s office, the Department of Commerce, the City of Richland, Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler, Senator Sharon Brown, TRIDEC, the Port of Benton and the Association of Washington Businesses.
Meanwhile, the company is building a 50,000-square-foot storage facility in nearby Pasco to properly maintain harvested potatoes prior to processing in Richland.
Lamb Weston is one of the Columbia Basin’s largest employers, with several offices and facilities in the Tri-Cities, including an Innovation Center in Richland, corporate offices in Kennewick, and two additional manufacturing facilities in Pasco. The company operates 24 factories in North America, Europe and China.
In addition to fries and specialty frozen potato items, Lamb Weston supplies appetizers, sweet potato and vegetable products to restaurants and retailers around the world. For more than 60 years, the company has been in the forefront of innovation, introducing products that simplify back-of-house management for QSR operators and other foodservice customers.
About to cut the ribbon to officially open Lamb Weston’s new potato processing line expansion at the Richland, Washington factory are (left to right): Mark Schuster, plant manager; Tom Werner, Lamb Weston’s president and ceo; Jim Andrew, a veteran Lamb Weston employee of 45 years; Carl Adrian, president and ceo of the Tri-City Development Council; Brian Mills, director of engineering; Sharon Brown, Washington state senator; Rick Gardner, Sr., director of manufacturing; and Warren Staples, Richland plant manager in charge of continuous improvement.
