Nestlé USA To Bring Major Functions, 300 Jobs To Solon, Ohio Campus

SOLON, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nestlé USA, a subsidiary of Nestlé S.A., a leading global nutrition, health and wellness company, today announced that it will move its Technical & Production organization and all Supply Chain teams to its multi-functional Solon, Ohio campus. This decision moves these critical functions closer to Nestlé USA factories, 75% of which are located in the eastern half of the U.S.

Nestlé USA Chairman and CEO Paul Grimwood explained: “We’re experiencing one of the most profound shifts in how people eat, shop and engage with brands right now. To address the ever-changing landscape, we’re striving to make our products healthier and tastier, using unmatched R&D capability, nutrition science and passion for quality in everything we do. The moves announced today are designed to allow us to work even smarter, fueling growth for our bright future, and we’re pleased to continue that growth and investment here in Ohio and in Solon, where both Governor John Kasich and Mayor Susan Drucker have welcomed our efforts.” Nestlé worked closely with JobsOhio, Team NEO and the City of Solon to facilitate its continued growth in Ohio.

While the 60-acre Solon campus has been established as the Center of Excellence for the Nestlé frozen and chilled foods businesses, Solon also serves as home to a number of other Nestlé businesses and functions, providing employment to more than 2,000 people. The campus is located near the intersection of Harper and Bainbridge Roads in Solon, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. The Harper Road Building, which opened in 1969, is undergoing a complete renovation to meet the needs of the incoming functional groups and will adopt the Nestlé Global Workplace Standard, already in place in Nestlé offices in Milan, Copenhagen, and Warsaw. The local offices of Westlake Reed Leskosky, now part of the DLR Group, have worked with Nestlé to thoughtfully plan this new workspace, with construction to be completed this spring. The “smart office” will feature open-space workstations with natural lighting, and informal as well as formal meeting spaces designed to foster enhanced communication and collaboration. This office building is adjacent to the Nestlé production facility where frozen meals are made by more than 850 employees, one of four similar facilities strategically placed across the U.S. to allow swift delivery to retail customers.

The company also manages a number of well-known brands at this location. They include Stouffer’s® and Lean Cuisine® freshly made, simply frozen meals, whose roots are in Cleveland. The Stouffer’s brand traces its history to 1922 when the Stouffer family entered the restaurant business. When patrons in the 1950s began requesting menu items from the suburban Shaker Square restaurant be frozen to “take home,” the Stouffer family found themselves in the frozen food business! In 1968, the Solon production facility was built and in 1973, Nestlé S.A. acquired the business. Later, in 1981, with the aid of Nestlé and its abundant experience and nutrition resources, Lean Cuisine was launched. Built on a commitment to quality, both of these brands remain leaders in their categories today.

Additional brands managed from Solon include Buitoni® refrigerated pastas and sauces; DiGiorno®, California Pizza Kitchen®, Tombstone®, and Jack’s® frozen pizzas – which arrived on the campus in 2014 from Chicago; Hot Pockets® and Lean Pockets® sandwiches, which moved from Denver in 2012; and Nestlé® Toll House® morsels, baking ingredients, refrigerated and frozen cookie dough, and baking kits; Libby’s® 100% pure pumpkin and Nestlé® Carnation® milks (evaporated, sweetened condensed and nonfat dry), which all came to the campus in the early 1990s.

Also operating in Solon are Nestlé Professional, committed to providing creative food and beverage solutions to its foodservice customers; Nestlé Business Services; and the Nestlé Development Center on Cannon Road, a $50 million investment completed in 2015 that established a global center to transform the way the world enjoys frozen and chilled foods. Soon to be at capacity, Nestlé also recently acquired real estate adjacent to its holdings in Solon, as it plans for the future.

Nestlé employs nearly 3,600 in Ohio, in several locations. In Dublin, the company recently completed a $31 million investment in its Nestlé Quality Assurance Center, the largest and most sophisticated testing facility in the Nestlé network and possibly the world. More than 220 chemists, microbiologists, food scientists, quality specialists and support staff offer specialized laboratory services, factory hygiene and food safety systems around the clock to Nestlé production facilities throughout the Americas.

In nearby Marysville, Nestlé operates its Product Technology Center specializing in ready-to-drink beverage development, premium coffee and tea. Over 250 employees are based at this location, providing expertise in beverage science, packaging and technology.

Nestlé in the United States is committed to enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future – for individuals and families, for our thriving and resilient communities, and for the planet. Its diverse portfolio of foods and beverages provides nutritious options for every member of the family, and supports both the first 1,000 days of life and healthy aging for people and pets. Nestlé in the U.S. consists of eight main businesses: Nestlé USA, Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, Nestlé Waters North America, Nestlé Nutrition, Nestlé Professional, Nespresso, Nestlé Skin Health and Nestlé Health Science. Together, these companies operate in more than 120 locations in 47 states and employ over 51,000 people. In the U.S., Nestlé product sales topped $26 billion in 2015, making it the largest Nestlé market in the world.

Nestlé has been recognized as a member of the MIT Technology Review’s “Smartest Companies,” the top food company on Fortune’s “Change the World” List, and the top food company on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.