Four businesses that bring people to Wooster
LuK USA
LuK USA’s Wooster location has been located in the City of Wooster for years, moving to the city in 1977, according to Justin Starlin, Wooster Chamber of Commerce President. Starlin also commented that the late Chris Schmidt, who was a philanthropist in Wooster in the 1990s and 2000s, played a major role in bringing the LuK plant to Wooster. LuK USA’s Wooster location has 1,300 employees and still looks to grow if the work force can be found in the area. This amount of employees makes LuK USA the largest employer in the City of Wooster, Starlin said. The primary business of LuK USA is the manufacturing of torque converters for vehicles ranging from semis to sedans. In 1977, LuK USA began with 35 employees and has continued to grow and invest in Wooster. It now has 800,000 square feet of space and has been in the same location for 38 years, Starlin said.
Frito-Lay
The Frito-Lay facility has been rooted in the City of Wooster since 1947; 51 of those years have been under the direction of Frito-Lay, Justin Starlin, Wooster Chamber of Commerce President, said. The plant underwent a warehouse expansion in 2000, which allowed for it to become one of the most efficient operations in the corporation, according to Tim Tayerle, the head of logistics, distribution and transportation at Frito-Lay’s Wooster plant. The Wooster plant manufactures Fritos, Lay’s, Ruffles, Doritos and Tostitos chips and employs 350 employees, Tayerle said. The Frito-Lay plant won the Wooster Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year award in 2014, Starlin said. The plant services Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Daisy Brand
Daisy Brand is the newest large business to come to Wooster. Daisy began the process of coming to Wooster a little over two years ago, according to Justin Starlin, Wooster Chamber of Commerce President. Daisy Brand has invested upwards of $125 million into bringing a production facility to this city. Citizens of Wooster can expect to see 90 positions open in the first phase of the operation, with a minimal amount of those positions coming from internal employees from Daisy Brand. The space that Daisy Brand will take will cover more than 200,000 square feet with much land around the structure for expansion, Starlin said. Daisy Brand produces cottage cheese and sour cream, according to daisybrand.com. The Wooster location will provide these products for the entire eastern region of the United States and parts of the midwest region, Starlin added.
Wooster Brush Co.
The Wooster Brush Company began in the City of Wooster in 1851. It is the oldest company in Wooster, according to Justin Starlin, Wooster Chamber of Commerce President. It has grown to 500 employees, with an average of 18 years of service each, according to thewoosterbrush.com. The Wooster Brush founder, Adam Foss, began making brushes by hand in 1851 in a small two-story building in Wooster until 1909, which is when the Madison Avenue land was acquired, thewoosterbrush.com says. The Wooster Brush Company produces and sells more than 2,000 products and, “The company has over 888,000 square feet of manufacturing, shipping, administrative, and warehousing facilities,” thewoosterbrush.com stated.
