J.M. Smucker bringing 100-plus Big Heart Pet Brands jobs to Ohio from Pittsburgh

Smucker unit president, family member resigns unexpectedly

An arch marks the entranceway into the J.M. Smucker Store and Cafe on Route 57 in Orrville, the Wayne County headquarters of the J.M. Smucker Co. The company's $6 billion acquisition of Big Heart Pet Brands will bring more than 100 jobs to Ohio from Pittsburgh offices it will close by next April 2016.

(Peggy Turbett, Plain Dealer file)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- J.M. Smucker's March 23 acquisition of Big Heart Pet Brands, the California company whose popular pet foods and pet snacks include Meow MixMilk-BoneKibbles 'n Bits, and 9Lives, will bring more than 100 jobs to Ohio from its Pittsburgh offices.

Senior officials from the J.M. Smucker Co., including Big Heart Pet Brands' former president and chief executive Dave West, told about 225 workers in Pittsburgh on Thursday that operations there will close by the end of Smucker's current fiscal year, on April 30, 2016.

Big Heart Pet Brands, acquired by J.M. Smucker in March, includes: Meow Mix, Milk-Bone, Kibbles 'n Bits, 9Lives, Natural Balance Pet Foods, Pup-Peroni, Gravy Train, Nature's Recipe, Canine Carry Outs, Snausages, Meaty Bone, Pounce, Jerky Treats, Alley Cat, and Milo's Kitchen.

Big Heart Pet Brands' Pittsburgh operations, housed in what was formerly called the Del Monte Center, include accounting, consumer affairs, customer logistics, customer service, facilities, human resources, information technology, payroll, procurement, quality assurance, and supply chain -- all of which will be consolidated at Smucker's Orrville campus headquarters.

More than 100 employees have been offered the chance to relocate along with those jobs.

West, who now serves as president of Smucker's Big Heart Pet Food and Snacks division and on Smucker's board of directors, broke the news with Barry Dunaway, Smucker's president of International and chief administrative officer.

Mark Smucker, president of Smucker's U.S. Retail Coffee division and a fifth-generation member of the Smucker family, told employees in Orrville about the changes.

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The company issued a statement that, "This decision is anticipated to bring additional positions to our growing Orrville campus with relocation opportunities available for more than 100 positions.

"We are committed to being fair to our employees including offering severance packages and company-paid programs to those not relocating to assist in finding new employment. While difficult, this decision to consolidate our teams will allow us to leverage our existing systems infrastructure at our headquarters while promoting consistency and efficiency in our service to our consumers and customers.

"We anticipate additional positions will be added to our growing Orrville campus, but the number is not known at this time," Smucker spokeswoman Maribeth Burns said via email.

Big Heart Pet Brands, based in San Francisco, was called the Del Monte Corp. until Feb. 18, 2014, when it sold off its fruit, vegetable and other consumer foods. Its pet brands include: Meow MixMilk-BoneKibbles 'n Bits9LivesNatural Balance Pet FoodsPup-PeroniGravy TrainNature's Recipe, Canine Carry Outs, SnausagesMeaty BonePounce, Jerky Treats, Alley Cat, and Milo's Kitchen.

The company has nearly 2,500 employees at offices in San Francisco, Pittsburgh, and Burbank, California; manufacturing facilities in Decatur, Alabama; Topeka, Kansas; Lawrence, Kansas; Buffalo, New York; and Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania; as well as some research and development facilities, sales offices and distribution centers.

Smucker has said it expects to save about $200 million a year within the first three years of owning Big Heart Pet Brands, including $40 million to $50 million this fiscal year.

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