New food manufacturing plant in Bonham to create 200 jobs

BONHAM, Texas (KXII) -- Duke Food Productions is making a $10 million investment into the old Sherwin-Williams facility, located just north of U.S. Highway 82 in Bonham.

This is the South Carolina-based company's first expansion outside of its home state, but it's the jobs they will be creating here that has people excited.

Kelly Royse lives in Bonham. She said finding jobs in the city is a challenge.

"Most people that live in Bonham are traveling long distances sometimes to go to work," Royse said.

This new 110,000-square-foot plant is set to bring in 200 new jobs over the next five years, with starting pay at around $30,000.

Royse said she thinks it will help bring more of a 'hometown' feel to the city.

"We are gonna have people be able to live and work in the same place that is home: Bonham," Royse said.

A city that Duke CEO Andrew Smart said caught his attention from the second he came into town to look at the plant.

"When we looked at the facility in Bonham, well you had a good portion of the town to meet us, from the mayor, to some council members," Smart said.

"Over a period of about three to four months, we've come to a very lucrative deal that's great for them and great for us and we are really excited about it," Bonham City Manager Sean Pate said.

Duke specializes in dips, sandwich spreads and desserts, sold in stores like Brookshire's and HEB.

Pate said this new facility will not only help Bonham grow, but also reflects the growing interest in Texoma as a whole, in housing, retail and now commercial.

"We have Campbell's to the east of us, to the west of us Tyson chicken, they've done very very well, and this is yet another landing spot for the Texoma region," Pate said.

Smart said the location will help Duke's plan to expand to the west, but it was the people in Bonham that sold the deal for him.

"It's small-town America that is unique and special, and so we are very excited about being here," Smart said.

They city also received nearly a million dollars from the state to complete the street reconstruction leading up to the facility.

Pate said the plant is set to open and start hiring some time in the early summer 2017.