City, county pondering incentive package for Redbarn Pet Products Company would move from California into the GB Packing facility

DALE HOGG

The co-founders of a small specialty pet treat company from California view moving to Great Bend in a good light, but are still negotiating with the owners of the former Great Bend Packing facility while seeking an incentive package from local and state sources.

Jeff Baikie and Howard Bloxam, owners of Redbarn Pet Products met with the Great Bend City Council and Barton County Commission Friday afternoon. There were capacity crowds at both meetings.

They are wanting to completely close their plant in long Beach, Calif., due to an “unfriendly business environment.”

“We are very excited about the opportunity to come to Great Bend,” Bloxam told the Council. They started looking for a new location about 18 months ago and heard about the packing plant, which closed in July.

They have also looked at sites in Texas and Nebraska. Since they use a lot of beef bi-products in the product lines, the proximity to cattle slaughter houses is a plus.

“Right now, Great Bend is the front runner,” Bloxam said. Being centrally located and smack in the middle of beef country, “Great Bend is a good fit for us and we are a good fit for Great Bend.”

But, they are still negotiating with the packing plant’s owners, Smithfield Foods, parent company of John Morrell.

If the deal goes through, Bloxam said they would likely close on the plant in early to mid December and start operations in Great Bend in January. They employ 150 people in their California facility and will offer the same number of jobs here by April or May.

They will be bringing six to 10 of their key people and their families with them.

However, the prospect of moving is daunting. “For a small company, this is a major endeavor,” Bloxam said. He estimated their moving costs to be between $2.5-3 million for property acquisition, moving and upgrading.

They are seeking a patchwork of incentives from the city, county and state.

From the city and county each, they are seeking $800 per employee plus a $22,500 grant. The state is offering other incentives. This money would help pay for the move and changes to the plant.

Bloxam and Baikie started Redbarn with themselves, their wives and about six employees. Today, they employ 150 in the United States plus 130 at a plant in South America and are a $35-million company looking to grow to $75 million.

Their products are available in such stores as PetCo, Walgreens and Kroger, and they also have 70-75 independent distributors. Their mainly high-end pet treats are more common in metropolitan areas.

Both the Council and the Commission will meet Nov. 2 to act on the proposal.

The money would come from Economic Development Revolving Loan Funds and other economic development funds.

“These are the kind of days I like,” said Jan Peters, Great Bend Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive officer. The weather was nice and she had good news.

“This has turned into a wonderful project,” Peters said. The company owners have made four visits to Great Bend, starting on Aug. 5.

“In these economic times, it doesn’t get much better than this,” she said.