Pet food maker will double its Lehigh Valley workforce in $20M expansion project

Pet food maker Spot & Tango will invest $20 million to double its production capacity and expand its workforce by 50% at its Upper Macungie Township facility, just four years after opening the plant, according to the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp.

The New York City-based company, which produces fresh dog food sold directly to consumers online, will grow its workforce from about 100 to about 150 employees. The expansion will add 20,000 square feet to the existing 66,700-square-foot facility and is expected to double production capacity within one to two years.

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In an LVEDC story, Dylan Munro, the company’s chief operating officer, said the decision to expand in the Lehigh Valley was driven by positive experiences with the region’s workforce and its proximity to company headquarters.

“We’ve had such a great experience here,” Munro said. “We have a really strong team, relatively low turnover. It’s really convenient for our headquarters. What’s great is we can have our team in New York visit our team in Allentown and vice versa on a regular basis, and that allows us to build culture. We love the area.”

The company is experiencing sales growth of 60% to 70% year-over-year, according to Munro, who attributed the demand to marketing efforts, the convenience of online shopping, customer referrals and more pet owners treating their animals as family members.

“People are focused on feeding their dogs better,” Munro said.

The expansion was supported by LVEDC and PPL Corp., which worked to meet the company’s power needs.

Source: Lehigh Valley Live