For a quarter century, Hermiston Foods has played a vital role in the town’s economy, but had it not been for a few determined men, the food processing plant might never have been sited here in the first place.
It turns out, Norpac planned to build the $9 million plant in Walla Walla. Local growers Phil Hawman and Chet Prior worked with Hermiston attorney George Anderson and Joe Burns of the Hermiston Development Corporation on a plan to change the minds of the powers that be at Norpac and convince them to come to Hermiston instead.
At the time, Anderson was part of Morrow-Umatilla Regional Strategies Committee. Signed and authorized by then-Gov. Neil Goldschmidt, the committee was formed to add value and increase the sales of the area’s ag products through targeted diversification into high-value fruits and vegetables, better infrastructure and an aggressive national and international marketing campaign.
As Goldschmidt wrote in a special column in the Hermiston Herald in 1990, “The Norpac Foods success began with the citizens of Morrow and Umatilla counties who developed their own regional strategy, examined the strength of their economy, created opportunities and targeted resources.”
Three of those four key players – Burns, Hawman and Prior – are no longer with us, but the existence of Hermiston Foods is a large part of their lasting legacies.
When it first opened in April 1990, Hermiston Foods had a workforce of between six and eight full-time salaried employees and about five or six full-time hourly employees, said plant manager Trent Waldern. Today, there are 15 full-time salaried employees, 25 full-time hourly employees and about 180 seasonal workers. Twenty-five years ago, the plant processed about 30 million pounds of food annually. Today, it processes between 50-70 million pounds each year.
The decision by Norpac to locate the plant in Hermiston has paid off for both Norpac and Hermiston. After all, much of the produce processed at Hermiston Foods is grown in the area. Among the produce that is processed at the plant include asparagus, peas, carrots, lima beans and edamame, a soybean plant that is growing in popularity.
Throughout each day during the growing season, up to 30 semi-trucks loaded with raw product come into the plant and 15 to 25 trucks are going out, taking the processed produce to plants in Salem or Quincy, Wash., for re-packaging.
With an annual payroll of $4 million, Hermiston Foods is one of the area’s largest employers and continues to give back to the community through donations to food banks, Blue Mountain Community College, the Hermiston Agriculture Research and Extension Center, as well as offering apprenticeship and intern programs.
“We’ve given a lot of young farmers the opportunity to start out,” said Cyd Bothum, director of human resources.
And those who choose to work for Hermiston Foods tend to stay for the long term. Bothum said among the plant’s salary, hourly and seasonal workers, about 100 of them have been with the company for more than a decade.
“We have a lot of people that have been with us great than 10 or 15 years,” said Bothum, who has been with the business from the very beginning.
When Hermiston Foods first opened, the state was on the heels of a state-wide recession. Oregon had lost 100,000 jobs and 65,000 state residents. Umatilla and Morrow counties were particularly hard hit. Having a $9 million investment in the local economy provided a major shot in the arm for the Hermiston area. And like so much of what makes Hermiston a great place to live, it was due, in large part, to the people of Hermiston, as Goldschmidt wrote 25 years ago:
“Hermiston is stronger today because people know they can make a difference.”
