King’s Hawaiian expands its Oakwood, GA operations

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King’s Hawaiian expands its Oakwood, GA operations

2 Nov 2022

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Evan Bail

Evan Bail is a is a multimedia journalist from Overland Park, KS. Her passion for writing and media was developed at a young age through film and literature. She graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. In her free time, you can find her playing tennis, spending time with her family or walking her dog at the dog park.

ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced that King’s Hawaiian will invest over $85 million in expanding its Oakwood, GA facility and will create more than 160 new jobs.

“Georgia has been an important part of King’s Hawaiian for more than a decade, and we are excited to expand our ohana by creating more than 160 new jobs in Hall County,” said Mark Taira, CEO of King’s Hawaiian. “Our partnerships with leaders in food science, manufacturing, and robotics from around the state of Georgia have been critical to King’s Hawaiian’s growth. A talented workforce and a supportive business environment make Hall County the perfect place to increase our investment in the state, and we look forward to continuing to spread the spirit of Aloha through opportunities to give back to the northeast Georgia community for their support.”

The new facility will be across the street from the current bread production plant located at the Oakwood South Industrial Park. The 150,000-sq.-ft. bakery, set to open in fall of 2023, will have room for future expansion and enable King’s Hawaiian to increase production significantly.

“Since coming to Georgia, King’s Hawaiian has worked with the no. 1 workforce training program in the country, Quick Start, to recruit skilled workers who can meet the demands of today’s market,” said Gov. Kemp. “This is a perfect example of how schools like Lanier Tech in our Technical College System produce amazing job placement rates. We are looking forward to continuing to work with this beloved brand in the coming years to provide further opportunities for Hall County and the entire State of Georgia.”

Senior project manager Kristen Miller represented the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s (GDcD) Global Commerce team on this project in partnership with the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce and Georgia Power.

“King’s Hawaiian has truly become part of the community in Oakwood, and they recognize the value in creating mutually beneficial relationships,” said Pat Wilson, GDEcD commissioner. “Beyond providing jobs and opportunities for locals, the company has worked with the University System of Georgia to offer learning and career development opportunities for students. King’s Hawaiian has engaged with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech’s manufacturing and robotics experts to innovate new methods for food processing. Congratulations to our partners in Hall County, and we look forward to many more years of strong partnership with King’s Hawaiian.”

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