Commissioner Marvin Arrington, Chairman Robbie Davis, State Senator Lisa Barnes, Commissioner Fred Belfield, Chief Deputy Secretary Jordan Whichard, SinnovaTek CEO Michael Druga, SinnovaTek CIO Amanda Vargochik, FirstWave Director of Operations Tyler Brown, Commissioner Dan Cone, Commissioner Wayne Outlaw, Commissioner Sue Leggett, and Middlesex Mayor Lu Harvey Lewis break ground on SinnovaTek’s FirstWave facility in Middlesex Corporate Centre.
NASH COUNTY
April 6, 2022
Middlesex, NC: SinnovaTek, a Raleigh-based leading developer and integrator of advanced food processing equipment and technology, has announced its plans to locate and purchase a 62,500 square foot shell building in the Middlesex Corporate Center, located in Nash County, NC. The project will be an expansion of the company’s aseptic co-packing operation, FirstWave Innovations, which is focused on enabling new product launches, rapid prototyping, and access to high quality food processing to make nutrient-rich shelf stable foods.
“We are excited to be part of Nash County’s investment in the Middlesex Corporate Centre, which demonstrates its commitment to economic development with a focus on agriculture-centered investments,” said Michael Druga, President and CEO of SinnovaTek.
He continued, “We are looking forward to getting closer to the source of raw materials and working with local growers to supply end use customers so their products can increase the livelihood of all involved parties. SinnovaTek anticipates robust growth, with a goal of creating a total of 50 jobs in two years and 75 jobs within 5 years at FirstWave with a capital investment of over $11.0 million.”
“It is very exciting that SinnovaTek has chosen to locate their FirstWave operations in Nash County,” said Robbie Davis, Chairman of the Nash County Board of Commissioners. “This is a great addition to our county industrial base that will continue to diversify the local economy and expand our food processing cluster. We wish them success and growth as they begin their operations in our county,” he added. “This project exemplifies how Nash County’s shell building program is used to create new economic opportunities in our communities, and the county is already moving forward with its next shell building in Middlesex.” Davis expressed his appreciation to all who have been involved in bringing SinnovaTek to Nash County.
New construction on the shell building located in the 378-acre Middlesex Corporate Centre will include a new parking lot and driveways, as well as office, warehouse, and food production space, all built with FDA-accepted food grade materials and methods. Insulated metal panel interior walls around the process area will create a clean building within the larger facility.
The company’s new location was assisted by a $400,000 grant from the North Carolina Rural Building Reuse program.
“The SinnovaTek announcement is a significant achievement for the company and Nash County,” said Nash County Economic Development Director, Andy Hagy. “I congratulate SinnovaTek on their expansion and am proud that the Nash County Economic Development team was able to play a role in their continued success.”
“This is the second food processing company locating to Nash County in less than a year. The Crump Group, a Canadian company and manufacturer of all-natural pet treats and supplements, announced their location in August 2021. The company purchased the former 190,000 square foot Carolina Innovation Food Ingredients (CIFI) facility, creating 160 jobs and $20.5 million capital investment,” said Hagy.
About SinnovaTek
SinnovaTek is a leading developer and integrator of advanced food processing equipment and technology through its family of companies including SinnoVita and FirstWave. As a certified B corporation, SinnovaTek’s mission is to promote worldwide health and wellness by fostering the delivery of high quality, healthy foods through sustainable methods.
The SinnovaTek family of companies provides several pathways to service its customers’ needs:
- SinnovaTek: Provides high-quality continuous flow microwave processing systems and pumps to food manufacturers along with the engineering and R&D support to make them successful.
- SinnoVita: Provides science-backed VITERO ingredient technologies to reduce food waste and increase nutrient delivery.
- FirstWave: Provides a platform for companies to launch and test new products in a high quality aseptic format without the minimum order quantities that are normally required for a launch, enabling SinnovaTek to service customer production needs as they begin scale their products.
SinnovaTek is passionate about finding the best solution for its customers. Learn more at https://www.sinnovatek.com/.
To learn more about jobs and economic opportunities in Nash County go to Select Nash NC.
