MONTGOMERY— Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded a $140,000 grant to help two St. Clair County businesses expand, resulting in increased commerce and 14 new jobs.
The Community Development Block Grant to the city of Moody will be used to improve water services to Processor’s Choice and J.M. Exotic Foods. The two businesses are adjacent to each other on U.S. Highway 78 and are each expanding to meet rising sales of their products in the food industry.
“Processor’s Choice and J.M. Exotic Foods have been mainstays in the city of Moody and are taking advantage of demands in the food market to expand their businesses and add to the economy in St. Clair County,” Gov. Ivey said. “I am pleased to award this grant and look forward to continued success by these two companies.”
Processor’s Choice, which supplies ingredients to food-production companies in the southeast United States, plans an 83,500-square-foot expansion and will employ an additional eight people.
J.M. Exotic Foods manufactures custom blends of seasonings for foods including meat rubs, sausage seasonings, batter and coating mixings and spice kits. The company plans a 17,000-square-foot addition and will hire six new employees.
The grant funds will help the city increase the size of water lines to improve firefighting capabilities in the area.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grant from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“Gov. Ivey has made helping businesses expand and hire new employees a hallmark of her administration,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “ADECA is glad to join with Gov. Ivey and the city of Moody in this worthwhile project.”
Gov. Ivey notified Mayor Joe Lee that the grant had been approved. Moody is supplying a local match of $28,000.
ADECA administers an array of programs supporting law enforcement and traffic safety, economic development, energy conservation, water resource management and recreation development.
-30-
