King’s Hawaiian expansion to create more than 400 new jobs in Hall County

ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal announced that California-based King’s Hawaiian, a state-of-the-art bakery and distribution company, will expand its existing operations in Oakwood, adding more than 400 new jobs in phases by 2016. When it completes this expansion, King’s Hawaiian will have invested $100 million into its Hall County operations.

“With this significant investment, King’s Hawaiian is putting bread on the table in Hall County in more ways than one,” said Deal. “In its relatively short time in Georgia, King’s Hawaiian has proved a valuable member of our corporate community, and today’s expansion announcement shows the company’s faith in our business climate and the skilled local workforce. The growth and success of King’s Hawaiian will benefit northeast Georgia for many years to come.”

King’s Hawaiian plans to double the size of its current facility in Oakwood and construct a neighboring 120,000-square-foot facility over the next year, tripling its production capacity and creating more than 400 additional jobs by 2016. The company will continue to work with the Georgia Department of Labor during its hiring process and with Georgia Quick Start, the nation’s top-ranked workforce training program.

Food processing is an $11.1 billion industry in Georgia, and King’s Hawaiian is a brand leader among more than 600 food processing companies in the state. The family-owned and operated company, known chiefly for its Hawaiian bread, operates two other bakery facilities and two restaurant operations in Southern California. In 2010, after reviewing opportunities to build a new facility in several Eastern states, the company selected Oakwood, and completed its bakery plant there in late 2011. King’s Hawaiian has already exceeded its growth expectations in Georgia, creating more than 160 jobs instead of the 126 it originally projected. The company anticipates that its upward trajectory will continue.