N.J. Tax Incentives Give Company a Reason to Stay, Create Construction Jobs
By Chris Colabella

The original Goya Foods sign – circa 1937.

Thanks to the fact that almost two dozen of the largest pharmaceutical companies call it home, New Jersey is actively working to retain and attract many other international companies. That’s great news for the local economy as well as the construction industry, since major N.J. tax initiatives are incentivizing companies to stay put and expand here – adding up to great construction jobs.

Goya Foods, the 75-year-old Hispanic food company still owned by the founding Goya family, broke ground on Sept. 5 on a 40-acre Brownfield site at 360 County Road in Jersey City. It is one of the last remaining pieces of undeveloped property in the area that can host a building larger than 600,000 square feet. It will be home to the company’s new 615,000-square-foot headquarters which will house 577,000 square feet of warehouse space and 38,000 square feet of office space.The new facility, slated to open in the spring of 2014, will enable Goya to consolidate its distribution center in Bethpage, N.Y, and its existing headquarters and warehouse in Secaucus. The Secaucus property will be eventually converted to a manufacturing plant.Goya bought the property from the Rockefeller Development Group of Mt.Olive for $27 million. R.C. Andersen of East Rutherford is leading the construction project.

The decision to buy the land, and spend an additional $100 million to pay for the full expansion plan, is being fueled – and funded —  in part, by a 20-year tax abatement for the company awarded by the city, and an $81.9 million tax incentive package awarded by New Jersey Economic Development Authority. The package was awarded to encourage the company to remain in the state and move its operations to Jersey City.

The agreement between Goya and the State of New Jersey will ensure the retention of over 500 existing local jobs and the addition of more than 80 new permanent Goya positions, as well as more than 150 on-site construction jobs. R.C. Andersen’s Paul Gorga is serving as project manager, overseeing various aspects of the huge job, including: excavation, building, concrete and brick laying, HVAC and plumbing installations, electric, roofing and more.

When he spoke at the groundbreaking, Gov. Chris Christie confirmed that New Jersey awarded the tax break to Goya after the company said it was looking out of state for a location on which to build the planned facility, including sites in Suffern, N.Y., and eastern Pennsylvania.

Peter Unanue, executive vice president of Goya, spoke after the groundbreaking and said  the company is extremely excited to be able to remain in New Jersey. “We were able to find a property that would allow us to expand and grow, while keeping our manufacturing close by,” he said, adding that making a commitment to New Jersey for the long run will not only help to expand Goya Foods but will “guarantee the efficiency of Goya’s overall operation for years to come,” he said.

Gov. Christie said, “I want to thank Goya, most importantly for their confidence in our state, and its people. This investment that we are making here will pay off in more jobs, and a more vibrant economy as we move forward into the future.”

Chris Colabella is the president of CIS, Inc., New Jersey’s only local construction lead service. For more information, visit www.cisleads.com or call 800- to arrange for a free demo of CIS Leads.