Lancaster County company expands in East Hempfield

Universal Ingredients Shank’s celebrated Wednesday its $30.5 million headquarters expansion in East Hempfield Township, Lancaster County. 

Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Rick Siger was on hand to help celebrate the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to Pennsylvania manufacturers and helped cut the ribbon on Shank’s headquarters expansion. 

“Shank’s has a remarkable, 124-year history in Lancaster County and the Shapiro Administration is proud to support the company’s continued growth here in Pennsylvania,” Siger said in a statement. “We are aggressively attracting new businesses to the commonwealth and are equally committed to retaining homegrown companies like Shank’s. These types of meaningful, strategic investments are helping to position Pennsylvania as an economic leader.” 

The expansion project was announced by Shapiro in May and will create 83 new jobs and retain 234 jobs statewide. Shank’s facility will support additional liquid and dry manufacturing, packaging, and refrigerated storage, as part of its expansion. 

“We are excited to announce the opening of our enhanced Universal Ingredients Shank’s campus. This will enable us to expand our product offerings to our customers, service additional markets, and provide us with beneficial operational efficiencies,” said George C. Freeman, president and CEO of Universal Corporation. 

“Our campus expansion will allow us to enhance our tea, coffee, and other botanical extracts as well as our customized blending capabilities through innovative solutions such as aseptic packaging. We would like to thank the commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development and Lancaster County for their support which helped make this project possible,” added Freeman. 

Shank’s, a top producer of vanilla extract in the United States, has been headquartered in Lancaster County since its founding in 1899 and makes and distributes more than 2,400 products, including flavors, emulsions, botanical extracts, colors, and sauces for retail and food industry customers globally. 

“We are excited to see food processing companies like Shank’s continue to invest in their Lancaster County operations,” said John Biemiller, vice president, Business Retention and Expansion, Economic Development Company of Lancaster County. “These commitments of company capital help keep Lancaster’s food manufacturing facilities on the cutting edge of food production in North America.” 

To train workers, Shank’s received a funding proposal from DCED for a $332,000 Pennsylvania First grant and a $166,000 workforce development grant. The expansion project was coordinated by the Governor’s Action Team, a group of economic development professionals who report to the governor and work with businesses that are considering locating or expanding in Pennsylvania. 

“I am thrilled that Shank’s has chosen to expand and invest right here in Lancaster County,” said Sen. Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster. “When businesses come to our communities, our residents benefit from more job opportunities and increased local economic activity across numerous sectors, as the indirect impact of these investments on other industries is immeasurable. 

“I’m grateful for the policy work we’ve been able to accomplish to send a strong message that our state is competitive and prepared to support businesses, new and old, that provide a better quality of life for Pennsylvania residents,” added Aument. 

Shapiro’s 10-year Economic Development Strategy looks to reignite the economy.   

“Even though Shank’s has been operating in Lancaster County for more than a century, this expansion positions the company for an even brighter future with more innovation in food safety, more family-sustaining jobs, and more growth still to come,” said Rep. Brett Miller, R-Lancaster.