POCATELLO — More than 600 job seekers came to the Veterans Memorial Building Saturday for an open house hosted by Amy’s Kitchen.
The organic frozen food mogul announced last month that it was buying the former Heinz plant on Flandro Drive. Amy’s Kitchen will hire 50 workers next month and 200 employees by next spring. Eventually, they hope to employ 1,000 workers.
Human Resource Vice President Cindy Gillespie said a number of former Heinz workers applied for jobs Saturday.
“We’ve heard that the Heinz plant was a well-operating plant, and we invited former employees to apply,” Gillespie said.
Gillespie said the company will start running one production line in December.
Amy’s Kitchen specializes in pre-cooked and frozen, organic and natural, vegetarian meals. It produces 250 products at plants in Medford, Ore., Santa Rosa, Calif., and now Pocatello. The brand includes a frozen coconut milk dessert, pizza, candies and soups, as well as gluten-free and low sodium meals.
Gillespie said new hires will be notified in the next two weeks, but she declined to say what an entry level position will pay.
“Pay levels haven’t been set yet, and I can’t comment, but pay is based on plant averages,” Gillespie said.
Prospective employees also got a chance to sample the vegetarian fare during Saturday’s open house. Brownies, Mexican casserole and lasagna seemed to be the most popular items.
Karina Matteson and her partner, Erica Newman Matteson, of Fort Hall, were among the applicants Saturday.
The couple said they liked the products they sampled and have heard good things about the new company.
“We thought if we both came and applied, maybe one of us would get on, and we could keep the lights on,” Karrinna said.
Erica and Karina have two children, and Erica said in Southeast Idaho, it’s difficult to find a job that pays enough to cover day care. She has been unemployed for two years. Erica said she earned $11 per hour at her last job.
In addition to 200 new jobs at the food plant, $25 million in capital improvements are planned at the processing plant, and the company said last month that they will use local contractors for those upgrades.
In accordance with the Tax Reimbursement Incentive plan, Amy’s Kitchen will receive a tax credit of 26 percent for 15 years. To sweeten the pot, the Bannock County Commissioners also approved a 75 percent property tax abatement for the company for the next five years that covers the existing Heinz property and future investments.