Parham Kitchen could bring in 500 new jobs

Nov. 03--MVI_3422.MP4

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It all began about four years ago -- an idea of possibly reopening the Bobby Parham Kitchen at Central State Hospital in Milledgeville and potentially creating hundreds of jobs in the process.

Though there have been a few bumps along the road to getting there, that idea is heading toward reality -- and potentially more than 500 new local jobs.

The idea was the brainchild of Mike Couch, executive director of Central State Hospital Local Redevelopment Authority, who later shared it with members of the CSHLRA board. They embraced it, so he reached out to Angelo Bazzarro, owner of FoodService Partners, LLC, to see what he thought about it.

Bazzarro's meal production and delivery company, established in 1998, delivers to hospitals, skilled nursing homes and long-term care facilities all over the country.

Bazzarro's interest was piqued and almost immediately, he wanted to know more. Before long, the company executive visited the site, engaging in one-on-one discussions with Couch and others.

Not soon after, he was sold as well, convinced that reopening the 108,000-square-foot Parham Kitchen was a sound move.

It wasn't long before serious talks were underway among Couch and CSHLRA board members, and city and county leaders who also embraced the concept.

FoodService Partners, LLC has already made a sizable investment into the project.

A planned $17 million is slated for the reopening project, along with another $5 million to $7 million anticipated, which includes bringing other clients to the CSH campus and expanding the processing of the agricultural products and meats.

The critical piece of the project was the funding necessary to make it happen. That all came to pass recently when officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved a $10 million loan.

With the federal loan's approval, in two weeks, one of several construction phases will get underway at the Parham Kitchen, and the long-awaited project to turn the facility into the Georgia International Food Center will become reality.

"The first of the construction materials were delivered Thursday, and we're about a month away from starting demolition in the building, said Justin Bazzarro, the company's director of Procurement & Risk Management, who along with Deborah Michas, also serves as executive directors of business development. "That will take about two months, and then we're looking at about a three- to four-month turnaround on the building in terms of construction."

He said the current Parham Kitchen will be expanded about another 9,000 square feet and that the loading docks will be expanded and enclosed.

"This will be the latest and greatest food safety system," He said.

Such work will be done by Cold Storage Manufacturing Inc., a California company that has done a lot of specialized refrigeration for FoodService Partners.

Bizzarro expects that phase of the construction project to be completed sometime in June 2019. Then, it's a lengthy certification process, he added.

In between that period, employment opportunities will abound.

"Our plan is, and it hasn't been finalized yet, is to work with Central Georgia Technical College in Milledgeville to help us do training as they offer a Quick Start Program," Bizzarro said, noting that employees will also have to be Serve-Safe certified.

Employees will go through a comprehensive training program offered through FoodService Partners, LLC, he pointed out.

"We'll be paying for the cost of employees to go through the training at CGTC," he said. "We'll pay the employees while they are going through the training period, while the Quick Start training will not be something we will pay for as a company. We will provide the curriculum to the college."

Initially, FoodService Partners LLC plans to hire 65 employees.

"But that will quickly ramp up to 125 within the first year," Justin said. "Between all the other areas, which will include the kitchen itself, which will do food production and co-packaging for Cosco to convenience stores and hospitals, meals delivered straight to homes, as well as high-pressure processing which we're working on."

Once the Milledgeville location is fully operational, he said 550 people will be employed locally on-site.

Bizzarro said it is expected to take seven years to see the 550 number of employees, but it could happen.

"Five years would be great; seven years is very realistic, and three years is a goal," he said.

There is also the potential for ancillary jobs.

Bizzarro said some of the customers and clients that FoodService Partners does a lot of work with have expressed an interest in coming with them to the CSH campus as well.

"We have two to three clients that we are working with who are talking about coming here," he said.

A cafeteria is also planned at the site for employees as well as other business people operating businesses on the CSH campus, and the general public, too.

"It will be open to anyone," he said.

Bizzarro said the agricultural logistics will also be handled at the Milledgeville kitchen, which will continue to keep the Parham Kitchen name.

"We will be coordinating a plant where we process fruits and vegetables that are Georgia-grown," he said.

That part of the project has lots of officials excited. Among them is Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, who has visited the facility and embraced the concept.

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