Lehigh Valley brings 105 jobs to New Jersey health and beauty product maker Project Shampoo – The Morning Call

This was done by Project Shampoo, the name given to an attempt to move a New Jersey health and beauty product manufacturer to the Lehigh Valley. The courtship began late last year and intensified in early 2020, culminating in an announcement from Gov. Tom Wolfe on Thursday.

The company Project Shampoo described: AP Deauville LLC, makers of the Power Stick brand of antiperspirants, body washes, body sprays and men’s grooming products, chose the Lehigh Valley over other states.

AP Deauville will move its headquarters and manufacturing operations from New Brunswick to a 180,000 square foot facility at 3700 Glover Road in Forks Township. The move is expected by the company in the fourth quarter or early 2021, said company CEO Frederick Horowitz.

Having reached capacity in New Jersey, the company plans to invest $16.7 million in the project and bring 105 jobs to Forks, including existing workers.

Wages at AP Deauville range from $15 an hour for production workers to $100,000 a year for senior management. McClure said the company’s investments included his $9 million in the purchase of the Forks building, $5 million in the purchase of machinery, and his $2 million in renovations.

“This is exactly the kind of development we want to encourage in Northampton County,” McClure said. “AP Deauville will be a great addition to our business and his community.”

For this project, the company received funding proposals from the state’s Department of Community and Economic Development, including a $250,000 Pennsylvania First grant to be distributed when new jobs are created, and $50,000 for job training. .

In addition, the Northampton County Industrial Development Authority awarded AP Deauville a $105,000 job creation grant program to offset the cost of the machinery.

AP Deauville has considered other states, including remaining in New Jersey, but Horowitz says the Lehigh Valley offers the right workforce and easy access for mass goods companies that need to be close to their suppliers. He said he would provide good transportation. He also praised the state’s tax policies at the state and local levels, calling them “responsible and conducive” to allowing AP Deauville to compete nationally and locally.

“Pennsylvania was the most organized state, both for why people moved to Pennsylvania and how they made it easier,” Horowitz said. “The governor’s action team was unique and lived up to its name.”

In an email, Horowitz did not respond to questions about the warning letter AP Deauville received from the US Food and Drug Administration in November. According to the letter, the FDA said that from April 9, 2019, through May 2, 2019, he conducted an inspection of the company’s facility in New Brunswick and determined that “the current good manufacturing practice found a serious violation of

FDA spokesperson Jeremy Kahn said the letter remained an “open compliance issue” and was not discussed by anyone other than the companies involved.

The building AP Deauville would occupy was previously occupied by Forks Specialty Metals, which was put up for sale around the time the company filed for bankruptcy in December 2017, said business attracting, retaining and expanding at Lehigh Valley Economic Development. Vice President Matthew Tuerk said.Ltd.

Don Cunningham, president and CEO of LVEDC, said the AP Deauville landing would be a win-win for the area with its offices and manufacturing jobs, adding that the Lehigh Valley has seen growth in the manufacturing sector in recent years. trend continues, drawn to the region’s location, workforce and infrastructure.

Cunningham said LVEDC is pleased that plans for AP Deauville are progressing well despite the coronavirus pandemic. His June unemployment rate in Lehigh Valley was 14.2% for him. Cunningham believes that taking on new jobs, like AP Deauville’s, will help give opportunities to people who have lost their jobs in other sectors.

[ Lehigh Valley unemployment rate stuck on high even as economy reopens ]

“Most encouragingly, the industrial and manufacturing sectors continue to grow even during this difficult economic period,” he said. “This means companies are making products and running them, and Lehi says the Valley continues to be a very attractive place to do that.”

Competing in the affordable market segment, AP Deauville products are sold at CVS, Giant, ShopRite, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and others.

Wake-up call reporter John Harris at 610-820-6779 or [email protected].