One of the largest agricultural companies in the world – Archer Daniels Midland Company – has chosen CAN DO’s Humboldt Industrial Park North to be the site of their newest cocoa processing facility.

“We are pleased to announce Hazleton as our location of choice for this state-of-the-art facility,” stated Mark Bemis, president-ADM Cocoa. “This plant illustrates ADM’s commitment to meeting its customers’ growing need for high-quality cocoa ingredients and will strengthen ADM’s worldwide leadership position in the cocoa industry.”

CAN DO Chairman E. Thomas Sandrock welcomed ADM’s decision to locate their processing facility in Greater Hazleton, saying, “I’m very excited that this Fortune 500 company has shown their confidence in our region by deciding to locate this cocoa processing facility here.”

“When a company such as ADM chooses to locate their newest plant in your area, it demonstrates that your region has what it takes to be competitive, such as a highly-capable workforce and an ideal location that facilitates distribution throughout the East Coast,” Sandrock said.

“I think ADM’s decision also speaks volumes about the great support CAN DO staff members provide to companies serious about locating here. Our marketing department, as well as all our support staff, work very hard on behalf of all clients, large and small, who want to choose Hazleton for their next location,” Sandrock said.

Pending final permitting approvals, ADM expects construction to begin this fall, with the facility being operational in mid-2007.

-##-