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Red Gold moving headquarters to Elwood

 IBJ Staff
June 22, 2011
Keywords
Food manufacturers, Headquarters Relocations, Madison County, Manufacturing & Technology, Regional News
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Red Gold Inc. is growing more than tomatoes in Madison County.

The Orestes-based company—the nation’s second-largest tomato canner—on Tuesday announced plans to invest $3.5 million to convert a former Elwood elementary school into a new corporate headquarters.

When the project is complete within the next 12 months, the office will accommodate about 200 professional employees.

Since 2001, Red Gold has nearly doubled its staff to more than 1,300 workers at production and distribution facilities in Elwood, Orestes and Geneva. The company spent more than $20 million last year to expand its operations.

Projects included a major upgrade of the Orestes plant, with a new high-speed canned tomato line and additional equipment to increase output. Red Gold’s Elwood plant, meanwhile, is getting additional production and packaging equipment, including a state-of-the-art ketchup bottling line that is expected to be ready for production in mid-August.
 
In addition to canned tomatoes, Red Gold produces ketchup, tomato juice and pasta sauces for its consumer brands Red Gold, Redpack, Tuttorosso and Sacramento.

 

 

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  • Good people, good products, good company
    JimJune 22, 2011 2:29 PM
    I have known many people who worked at Red Gold, at least one in corporate, one of the owners who worked for GM at one point in time in the 1970's (and yes, he was from Elwood, hence the PO Box in Elwood for company mail...they have expanded and grown exponentially since then), and several people who have worked in the plant, on Maintenance, etc. They did not pay GM level wages to the general workforce, but they paid well above the minimum...the working conditions, as canning operations go, are good, and their products are excellent...they make so many products for other companies that there is no one reading this article that hasn't eaten a Red Gold product if you eat anything made with tomatoes, whether you have ever bought the actual Red Gold brand or not. I have not heard anyone who works for them, past or present, bad mouth the company, to a person they have all been complimentary...Michelle has an axe to grind apparently...why would anyone complain about a local, successful company expanding in this economy...how could purchasing and renovating an abandoned school building in the companies' home community for much needed office space be a bad thing? Slight of hand?...methinks Michelle sees conspiracy because that is what she wants to see. Red Gold is one of the best things going in Madison County. My hats of to them for making the best of things in an economy where many businesses have failed.
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  • šÂÂ
    ThomasJune 22, 2011 2:03 PM
    I couldn't agree more that ’ and ’ are important to the ’ of Red Gold. I can only hope that in the future ’ and things like ’ are taken into consideration when future expansions occur.
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  • YOU ARE WRONG
    Karen FrawleyJune 22, 2011 2:03 PM
    Michelle,

    You need to get your stories straight before you start bad mouthing a company that has been in our communtiy for years and is there for out community. I too used to work at Red Gold and they are a good company to work for. This move is going to be great for Elwood.
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  • Corporate Office Clarification
    Steve AustinJune 22, 2011 12:33 PM
    In response to Ms. Jackman’s confusion about where Red Gold’s corporate offices are located, I will share brief facts about our company history. Red Gold’s first canning operation was and is located in the town of Orestes, six miles east of Elwood and one mile west of Alexandria. Our corporate office, next to the Orestes production factory, is still at that site today and it has been since 1942.

    Confusion about Red Gold being headquartered in Elwood arises from the fact that our owners lived in the City of Elwood, therefore chose their home town post office as the place to receive their company mail. Red Gold’s can labels carry the address of PO Box 83, Elwood, Indiana so it is easy for one to assume that Red Gold is headquartered in Elwood.

    In 1980, Red Gold purchased Fettig Canning in Elwood and a small trucking company that was part of Fettig. Red Gold changed the name of those two operations to reflect Red Gold ownership and for the first time Red Gold had physical locations in Elwood.

    Red Gold has grown immensely since the 1980’s adding a Distribution Center on State Road 28, one mile west of Alexandria and a third production facility in the Town of Geneva, Indiana plus a warehouse in Portland, Indiana.

    Growth is requiring Red Gold to expand the size of its corporate offices and a shuttered elementary school building in Elwood is an excellent opportunity for Red Gold to acquire much needed office space, thus for the first time Red Gold’s physical managerial location will match its historical postal and assumed image address.
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  • Excited for the New Corporate HQ in Elwood
    AngieJune 22, 2011 11:38 AM
    Red Gold Corporate Employees are looking forward to the new Corporate Headquarters in Elwood. Tina is correct, the Corporate Office for Red Gold has never been located in Elwood. We are excited for the opportunity to grow the staff of the Corporate Office and stimulate the Elwood Community.
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  • Corporate is in Orestes - NOT Elwood
    TinaJune 22, 2011 10:58 AM
    Red Gold Corporate HQ have never been in Elwood. Elwood is one of three production facilities that "yes" has an HR department for the local employees. This is a huge deal, not a smoke screen - just ask the employees who are crammed at the Corporate office what a big deal this is!
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  • Always was in Elwood
    Michelle JackmanJune 22, 2011 8:12 AM
    I used to work at Red Gold and they had a huge distribution center at Orestes but the majority of items were produced at Elwood. They had their HR office in Elwood. I don't know why they are saying that they are moving the operations to a place they already had them at??? Ok they might be expanding there but they have always been there! Just like them to do things ass backwards! Makes me wonder why they are throwing such a smoke screen. They weren't the best of places to work so makes me suspicious of their motives....
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    1. Saw the Indy Men's Chorus "Music of Gilbert & Sullivan" at the Indiana Historical Society on Sunday evening.

    2. Temporary workers are not "tools" they are people and companies that keep large amounts of temp staff are cheating.

    3. I miss having them around. I hope one of their stores is in the general Meridian/86th Street area. I will make good use of it.

    4. The Fringe! Plus, the simple fact that there are so many local faves in such close proximity to each other.

    5. I remenber, watching the toll road, being built, through South Bend, when I was 10 years old. I believe, back then that it was estimated, that the toll road, would be paid for in 20 years and then it would be free. I am now 71, what happened? Since the power is in the people, by that, I mean that, we the people are in total control of everything. I, suggest that no one ever use the toll road again, let it go broke. We the people can control the price of everything, from groceries to gas, if we would just do it. If we don't pay the asking price, the sellers will lower the price and if we wait awhile, they will lower the price to what we accept as reasonable. I would like to know why a highway like interstate 94, is so well maintained, a much better highway, than the toll road, but has no tolls. I would also like to know why, a sitting governor, with a term limit, maximum of eight years, can lease, public property, for 75 years. Even though I have transponders in both of my trucks and will not be affected by the increase, I have been and will contine to avoid using the toll road. I make many trips from northern Indiana to Chicago, every year, and I prefer the better highway, I94!

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