2014 was record-setting year for job creation and capital investment in Missouri

• February 09, 2015

2014 was a record-setting year for job creation and capital investment in Missouri, with over 155 total projects announcing over 28,500 new jobs. The majority of the new jobs (over 16,000) were announced by Cerner, the North Kansas City-based health IT company. Missouri has also experienced major growth in the aviation and aerospace industry and the automotive industry in recent years. Other areas seeing growth in Missouri include manufacturing, transportation and logistics and foreign direct investment.

Major manufacturing projects

In March, 2014, GAF Roofing—North America’s largest roofing manufacturer—announced plans to build a new state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Moberly, Mo. GAF will invest nearly $149 million to develop a 147-acre site for a new shingle laminator facility, an expansion that is expected to create 125 new jobs.

In August, 2014, Kraft Foods announced plans to invest nearly $100 million to upgrade technology and equipment at its Springfield, Mo., cheese production facility to produce a new product line. This follows Kraft’s nearly $50 million capital investment in 2012, demonstrating the company’s commitment to staying competitive and remaining a legacy employer in Springfield.

In December 2014, Midcontinent Nail announced plans for a nearly $5 million expansion project at their facility in the Poplar Bluff Industrial Park and the hiring of 91 workers.

In May, 2014, Unilever—one of the world’s leading suppliers of food, home and personal care products—announced that it will expand its production facility in Independence, Mo. The company’s expansion plan includes a $99 million capital investment and is expected to create approximately 70 new full-time jobs.

Major transportation and logistics projects

In July, 2014, FoodServiceWarehouse.com—a Colorado-based leading e-commerce company focused on high-quality restaurant equipment and supplies—selected Kansas City, Mo., as the location for its new distribution center. The company’s expansion project includes a $1.75 million capital investment and is expected to create up to 40 new jobs.

In January 2015, ReallyGoodStuff.com—an educational supply company—selected Kansas City, Mo., as the location for its new e-commerce fulfillment center. The expansion project includes a $3.36 million capital investment and is expected to create 44 new jobs.

In July 2014, Total Quality Logistics—one of the largest freight brokerage firms in the nation—selected St. Louis for its new office. The company’s expansion plan includes a $1.2 million capital investment and is expected to create 95 new jobs within the next five years.

In October 2014, XPO Logistics—one of the fastest growing providers of transportation logistics in North America—selected Kansas City as the company’s first freight brokerage location in Missouri. The company’s expansion plan includes a $1.2 million capital investment and is expected to create up to 125 new jobs.

Major foreign direct investment projects

In May, 2014, AB Mauri—a global company that supplies the food and baking industries with high-quality yeast and bakery ingredients—announced the move of its North American headquarters into the Cortex Innovation Community in St. Louis’s historic Central West End district. The company’s expanded facility includes a $73 million state-of-the-art, sustainable, multi-tenant laboratory and research facility.

In December, 2014, Anheuser-Busch InBev announced plans to invest $150 million to expand its metal container facility in Arnold, Mo., adding 70 jobs. The move will double the company’s aluminum bottle capacity in the U.S.

In January, 2014, Bayer HealthCare announced a $6.5 million investment in its St. Joseph, Mo., manufacturing operations. In St. Joseph, Bayer HealthCare performs research and development, as well as manufacturing of products for a line of animal pharmaceuticals.

In June, 2014, KWS—a leading global plant science company based in Germany—selected St. Louis to be the home of its new North American research facility. KWS will locate at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center’s BioResearch and Development and Growth (BRDG) Park, investing nearly $13.7 million in capital investment and creating 75 high-paying jobs in the next three to five years.

In October, 2014, SKF announced plans to build an engineering and manufacturing campus for industrial lubrication systems in St. Louis’s NorthPark. The Sweden-based company will invest $34.2 million for the building, plus another $20 million for personal property and create 73 new jobs over the next six years.

In October 2014, Schutz Container Systems—a Germany-based packaging company with locations worldwide—announced it will locate a new facility in St. Joseph, Mo. The company will invest nearly $20 million in building improvements and equipment, and will eventually employ 50 people.