$50 million dairy facility in Augusta to create 60 jobs

Published March 15, 2013 by Robert Powell, III

Shamrock Farms will build a $50 million dairy manufacturing facility in Augusta County, creating 60 new jobs.

The 130,000-square-foot facility will be built in the Mill Place Commerce Park in Verona.

“This new dairy manufacturing facility is the perfect fit for a region rich in agricultural history and committed to attracting industry that supports that history,” Gov. Bob McDonnell said in a statement. “I am confident Shamrock Farms will benefit from the skilled workforce and infrastructure available, while complementing the existing enterprise base, utilizing locally produced materials, including locally sourced milk, and helping advance the local economy.”

Shamrock Farms is one of the largest family-owned-and-operated dairies in the U.S. Based in Phoenix, Shamrock’s family farm hosts a herd of more than 10,000 cows. The company was founded in 1922 in Tucson, Ariz. 

The dairy manufacturing facility in Verona will produce extended shelf life products including Shamrock Farms on-the-go mmmmilk and Rockin’ Refuel, a new line of protein-fortified milk designed for muscle building and recovery used by sports teams in more than 150 colleges and universities nationwide.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Augusta County and the Shenandoah Valley Partnership to secure the project.

McDonnell approved a $250,000 grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to assist Augusta County. He also approved $50,000 from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund, a grant administered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Through its Virginia Jobs Investment Program, the Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide funding and services to support the company’s recruitment, training and retraining activities

Virginia successfully competed against Maryland and West Virginia for the project.