Chet Culver & Patty Judge for Iowa

Governor Culver at Pioneer announcement of expansion, 400 new jobs

Posted on Thursday, March 18 at 9:00pm

Governor Culver attended the announcement by Pioneer about their planned expansion of their facility in Johnston that will include 400 new jobs. The expansion was thanks, in part, to a commitment from the state of $7.8 million from the values fund -- including $500,000 for job training.

Here are some photos from the event:

Here is an excerpt of the Radio Iowa story about the exspansion:

The expansion will include 400 new jobs. Schickler says the new workers, on average, will be paid 130% more than the average wage in central Iowa. "We also anticipate a good share of the 400 jobs – because they are research-oriented, laboratory positions requiring advanced degrees – will be in the neighborhood of $100,000," Schickler said.

The expansion project on the Pioneer campus in Johnston will include three new buildings covering more than 200,000 square feet. Schickler says construction is expected to start in September and the buildings should be ready for workers in early 2012.

Governor Chet Culver attended today’s announcement at Pioneer. he says the state will contribute $7.8 million to the project. Most of that money comes from the Iowa Values Fund. Around $500,000 is designated for job training. Pioneer is owned by DuPont and has 12 production facilites and six research locations in Iowa.

You can read the entire article here. 

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