Wrigley to Expand Yorkville Plant, Begin Skittles Production

The Chicago-based Wrigley company will start making Skittles at its Yorkville plant, a move that will mean expanding the facility and adding 75 full-time manufacturing jobs, according to an announcement Wednesday from Gov. Pat Quinn.

The expansion will also support hundreds of construction jobs, the governor said.

The Wm. Wrigley Jr. company plans to invest $50 million to expand the Yorkville facility, which currently employs about 300 people. The plant is located at 2800 Route 47.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) is supporting the expansion with $2 million in tax incentives through the Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) program, which provides companies with a credit against their state income tax liability. The credit is offered to companies as an incentive to build or expand in Illinois when they are considering other states.

“Wrigley has called Illinois home for more than 100 years,” Kevin Fitzpatrick, vice president of supply chain for Wrigley North America, said. “We have a century-long track record of creating jobs, growing the economy and supporting our local communities in the greater Chicago area. With the expansion of our Skittles production in Illinois, we are proud to continue that tradition. In partnership with the state, we will be able to offer high-quality manufacturing jobs and ensure that the Yorkville facility has an opportunity to grow.”

DCEO will also invest $250,000 in construction expenses and $37,500 in job training to assist in the expansion. The company plans to expand the Yorkville plant by 145,000 square feet.

“Yorkville has been the proud home of the Wrigley manufacturing facility since 1995 and we are very excited about the expansion of the facility to accommodate the worldwide growth of Skittles,” Yorkville Mayor Gary Golinski said in a statement. “Wrigley's confidence in Yorkville reaffirms that Yorkville continues to be a great choice for manufacturing and industry with a strong local workforce. We look forward to our continued partnership as Yorkville and Wrigley continue to grow together.”

Wrigley’s Yorkville plant has been a strong contributor to the community for more than 20 years, and manufactures some of the company’s most well-known brands including Juicy Fruit, Doublemint and Life Savers. Wrigley will break ground on the expansion in a few weeks and start production by the end of 2015, according to the announcement.