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It was in
September, 1957, that a young entrepreneur named Jeno Paulucci
ventured into the food production business in Jackson, Ohio
with the establishment of Chun King Sales, buying the plant
from a former furnace company that used to operate on the site.
By January
1958, the facility had an employment of 240 employees and continued
to grow. In 1967, the facility was sold to R. J. Reynolds and
the facility on East Broadway Street operated until the early
1980s, when the operations were moved elsewhere.
Jeno
Paulucci returned to Jackson in the 1982 when he bought the
food processing facility in Wellston that is now operated by
General Mills and joins Luigino's as one of two Jackson County
employers that employ more than 1,000 employees. That facility
was opened in May, 1968 by Ralston-Purina Company.
After
locating in Wellston, Jeno Paulucci bought back the Jackson
plant after moving the principal production operations for his
new Jeno's, Inc. company (frozen pizza and Pizza Rolls) to Wellston
in 1982-83.
Jeno's,
Inc. was sold to Pillsbury Company in 1985, which closed the
facility again.
In 1990,
Paulucci received a letter from then Jackson Mayor Tom Evans
that the "third time would be a charm", and he should
consider establishing yet another food production facility in
his old, and at that time vacant, building in Jackson.
Paulucci
gave the matter considerable thought, felt his experiences in
Jackson County had been sufficiently successful to start again,
and in December, 1992 with 100 employees, launced production
at Luigino's, producers of the Michelina's brand frozen food
products, a business he had started in Minnesota in 1990.
The
letter sent by Evans has since proven to be very beneficial
for the community of Jackson and has provided Jackson with its
largest employer at 1,000 employees with additional employees
expected to be added in the future.
Paulucci
has been quoted as saying Jackson County has a very sound location
as it is within one day's drive within two-thirds of the population
of the United States.
From
Chun King, to Luigino's, and now, BELLISIO FOODS, INC., this
building has served as home for Jeno Paulucci and his business
ventures, as well as a home for thousands of local employees
to earn their income in the workforce.
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