Woodland officials are excited about the new jobs for locals Clark Pacific is creating after the concrete manufacturer won a bid to help build the new San Francisco 49ers stadium.
“These are positive developments that will have a significant impact on our local economy,” said Woodland Mayor Art Pimentel. “What an honor to have a company with such a great reputation employ local residents and build the 49ers stadium right here in Woodland.”
The new $1.2 billion, 68,500-seat stadium will feature 2,000 panels, or 500,040 square feet of panels from Clark Pacific, which has two plants in Yolo County.
In order to complete the project by early 2013, 80 to 100 new hires are expected for the job.
Eighty percent of the new positions will be created for the Woodland plant, said Don Clark, president of business development for Clark Pacific, in a telephone interview with The Democrat Wednesday.
“I’m very pleased with the re-opening of Clark Pacific in Woodland,” said Vice Mayor Skip Davies. “The fact that they’ll add an additional 80 employees (for the Woodland plant) is good for the community and good for our county. And we all know that those salaries turn over six to seven times in the community which is good for local businesses.”
Another piece people may not be thinking about is the spin-off into other industries, Davies said, like trucking and fuel.
“All the things they will build here will need to be transported to the Bay Area,” Davies said.
The concrete manufacturer will install about 21,000 tons of precast components, including treads, risers and steps for the stadium seating as well as various stadium walls, company officials announced Wednesday.
The company, based out of West Sacramento, began operations at the former Spreckels Sugar Mill plant in July 2008, after the rubble had been cleared from the long-vacated property on County Road 18C and Highway 113. The sugar processing company closed down in 2002.
In its heyday in the 1930s, Spreckels was highly profitable and a major employer of local workers.
The landmark is experiencing a revival with the 49ers stadium project, as well as two new parking structure jobs.
Not all community members were originally supportive of the company’s industrial endeavor when it first sought approval from the Yolo County Board of Supervisors in 2008. The site was zoned for agricultural use at the time because the sugar mill processed an agricultural product.
Supervisors ended up unanimously supporting Clark Pacific’s application to rezone the land for industrial use.
Clark Pacific has brought more than $5 million to the local economy since it opened, a number which will only grow.
Of the project’s estimated $15 million to $20 million value, about half will go back into the Yolo County community, Clark said.