Shamrock Farms' $59M investment to add 28 jobs in Verona

Week in Virginia

Shamrock Farms' $59 million investment in its Verona dairy plant will add 28 new jobs to the area, the company announced last week.

The new investment will allow the plant to add another filler line, a series of machines that fills containers before they are shipped out nationwide.

Shamrock, a Phoenix-based, family-run producer of milk and protein products, is celebrating its 10th anniversary in the Mill Place Commerce Park, where it now boasts 170 employees at its 250,000-square-foot facility.

CEO and Chairman Kent McClelland said during Tuesday’s announcement at the Verona plant that he and other company officials canvassed New England, the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest and other parts of the country 10 years ago looking for a location for a second company manufacturing facility before landing in Verona.

McClelland said Shamrock “knew we could be successful’’ in Augusta County, describing the friendly business environment, educated labor force and other selling points.

Phoenix-based Shamrock Farms opened its Verona plant in 2014.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin at Tuesday's announcement said Shamrock is a company that could have gone anywhere but chose Virginia.

“They are not just passing time. This is a future commitment based on past success,’’ Youngkin said.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, center, offers a Virginia flag to leaders of Phoenix-based dairy producer Shamrock Farms, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Verona. Shamrock executives were in the area to announce a $59 million investment in their Verona facility that will create 28 new jobs.

He then offered Kent McClelland a Virginia flag as a token of appreciation for their investment in the commonwealth.

Devon McClelland, Kent McClelland's son and the president of the company, said Shamrock is now doing business with 170 dairies in Virginia. Dairy is the fourth-largest component in Virginia agriculture, which remains the biggest industry in the commonwealth, said Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matt Lohr at the announcement.

Phoenix-based Shamrock Farms' Verona plant fills containers with dairy and protein products for national distribution.

W.T. McClelland founded Shamrock in 1922 in the Tucson area of Arizona. The company started out with 20 cows and Model-T delivery truck. Today, it produces a variety of dairy and protein products sold in 12-, 20- and 32-ounce sizes in all 50 U.S. states.

Shamrock’s Verona expansion marks the second major development in Mill Place Commerce Park this year. In May, Cava Foods celebrated the opening of a 55,000-square-foot, $35 million plan there that makes the dips, spreads and dressings for Cava eateries nationwide, including the Cava at Barracks Road in nearby Charlottesville.

Bob Stuart (540) 932-3562

[email protected]

@oldyankee53 on X

Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.

Week in Virginia