Mayor Matt Bemrich; Astra Ferris, chief executive officer of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance, and Chad Schaeffer, the city’s chief development officer; visited the North American headquarters of Nestle Purina PetCare last month.

That company has a cat food plant at 2400 Fifth Ave. S. that is undergoing a $175 million expansion in order to make a product that will be new to American markets. The project will create 50 net new jobs.

“Visiting Nestle Purina’s headquarters is an important step in continuing to strengthen our longstanding partnership, especially as they move forward with a major expansion in Fort Dodge,” Ferris said.

“It’s also an opportunity to express our appreciation, reinforce our support and stay closely aligned on their goals so we can continue growing together in a way that benefits both the company and our region,’ she added.

-Submitted photo
Fort Dodge Mayor Matt Bemrich meets one of the many dogs on the premises of the Nestle Purina PetCare North American headquarters when he and two other local leaders met there with company officials.

Bemrich said a visit like the recent one “sends a good message that the city really cares about their investment, their time and their people.”

“I find corporate visits to be very rewarding because you’re building relationships with people that you don’t get to see every day,” he said.

The three spent a full day at the headquarters campus, which is within sight of the Cardinals’ baseball stadium. The Nestle Purina campus includes offices, test kitchens and a plant that makes small batches of new products. They met with multiple company representatives, including marketing staffers and the manager of the on-site test plant

Bemrich said the campus is a “very pet friendly workplace” with lots of dogs and even some cats on the premises.

The mayor, who is not running for reelection, said he hopes community leaders continue to call upon the leaders of the community’s major employers at their headquarters.

“I hope the next mayor does the same type of thing,” he said. “I would encourage the Growth Alliance and the city to continue doing this.”