Le Mars, Iowa-based Wells, maker of Blue Bunny ice cream and frozen novelties, is undergoing a $40 million expansion and modernization project. A 6,000-square-foot addition to the South plant will improve workers' break rooms, locker rooms and other amenities. Two new production lines also are being added in the plant, bringing the total to 41 lines.
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An architect's rendering shows a new employee break room at the Wells South plant in Le Mars, Iowa. The 6,000-square-foot addition to the facility will add several amenities for Wells workers.
LE MARS, Iowa | As its largest employer continues to expand, Le Mars isn't going to be relinquishing its title as "Ice Cream Capital of the World" anytime soon.
Le Mars-based Wells, makers of Blue Bunny ice cream and frozen novelties, is in the midst of a 6,000-square-foot addition to its South plant that will add amenities for its employees.
The $40 million project, funded in part by a $3 million tax relief package awarded by the Iowa Economic Development Authority Board, also includes a plant upgrade and modernization that will add two new production lines, creating more than 80 new jobs at a company that employs more than 2,000 workers.
"This was demand-driven and capacity-driven," said Brad Galles, South ice cream plant manager/senior director. "It's purely driven on our growth trend and aspirations to continue growing the business."
The project is also meant to improve the work environment for the plant’s employees. The building addition will house an improved break room, locker rooms and cafeteria. It will update an area that is 25 years old with more TV sets and quiet areas in which workers on lunch breaks can use their phones, laptop computers or other electronic devices. The area will have the feel of a college dorm lounge, Galles said.
"We're trying to create a better environment for our employees to enjoy their lunch and enjoy their time off," he said.
Construction on the expansion began in December. Galles said he hoped the project would be finished in April.
Workers anticipating the new break areas have caught glimpses of the work in progress.
"Employees, I think, are excited. Break rooms are something we hadn't ever updated before," Galles said.
Installation of the two new production lines, which will produce frozen novelties and ice cream, has begun. Galles said it's hoped the new lines will be running in May. Most of the new workers have been hired or are being hired so that training can begin soon.
The addition will bring the total number of production lines in the South plant to 41. Their addition comes on the heels of a 2016 expansion in which one packaged ice cream production line was added.
The addition of lines is part of Wells' continual examination of its production to meet consumer needs, Galles said. If it's deemed necessary, the company could add production lines in the future.
"We continue to evaluate our growth trends," Galles said. "We're always looking at our future and what that might be."
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Le Mars, Iowa-based Wells, maker of Blue Bunny ice cream and frozen novelties, is undergoing a $40 million expansion and modernization project. A 6,000-square-foot addition to the South plant will improve workers' break rooms, locker rooms and other amenities. Two new production lines also are being added in the plant, bringing the total to 41 lines.
An architect's rendering shows a new employee break room at the Wells South plant in Le Mars, Iowa. The 6,000-square-foot addition to the facility will add several amenities for Wells workers.
