Business environment cited as a deciding factor in site selection

AFB International, one of the world’s largest suppliers of pet food flavors, is expanding into an 83,000-square-foot building in the Missouri Research Park in St. Charles County, Mo.

In addition to sales and administrative space, the facility will include high-tech laboratory space and a production research lab where new flavors for dog and cat foods and treats will be developed.

AFB is a subsidiary of Ensign-Bickford industries. It currently has 120 employees at a manufacturing plant in O’Fallon, Mo., which is also in St. Charles County. Forty of those employees will move to the Missouri Research Park, and the company plans to hire an additional 40 employees over the next five years. Many of the new employees will be highly trained technicians and Ph.D.-level scientists.

The company considered expanding in Connecticut. However, President and Chief Executive Officer Jackie Levin noted, “Being close to our O’Fallon location affords us the opportunity to have great interaction with manufacturing. In addition, we selected the St. Louis region because of the excellent business environment.”