County Offers Letter Of Approval
For Westin’s $10 Million Expansion
By Gordon Hopkins
Jefferson County Commissioners signed a letter of approval for a proposed expansion of the Westin Foods facility in Fairbury at a meeting on Tuesday, September 27, 2022. The letter is to be sent to the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority.
Earlier this year, Westin Foods requested that the county act as a conduit issuer for industrial revenue bonds for a $10 million expansion. The county approved resolution number 2022-5 issuing a bond for the purpose of financing the expansion, improvement and renovation of its manufacturing facilities.
This debt will be placed on First National Bank of Omaha as the purchaser of the bonds. Jefferson County will have no liability and will incur no debt. The payback responsibility for the debts will be solely that of Westin Foods. This debt will not count against Jefferson County’s bank qualification if the county should seek the issuance of any other bonds this calendar year.
The letter noted, “Jefferson County attests that all necessary ordinances and licensing requirements will be met.”
“This expansion will allow for us to continue to grow here in Fairbury,” Ronald Schacht, General Manager for Westin Foods, told commissioners in May. “Fairbury and Jefferson County have been very good to us in the past 50 years and letting us continue our growth and we’re excited about continuing our growth in Fairbury.”
There will be 13 thousand square feet of additional space built on the west end, and will include expanding the company’s Ready to Eat room. This will allow for more packaging space to package products, said Schacht.
Commission Chairperson Mark Schoenrock called the expansion, “A nice step forward for the city and for the county.”
