Lamb

Weston is adding a potato storage building in Paterson to support its expanded

operations across the Columbia River in Oregon.

The

new building is under construction at 158695 Highway 221 in Paterson. It is

valued at $2.2 million and will have the capacity to hold 15,000 tons of

potatoes.

At

the end of 2017, Lamb Weston announced plans for a $250 million french fry

processing line in Hermiston.

The

company expected to make capital investments of $25 million and $225 million in

fiscal years 2018 and 2019, with project completion targeted for the fourth

quarter of fiscal year 2019. The Paterson project is part of the total $250

million total investment.

When

finished, the Hermiston processing facility will be able to process 300 million

pounds of potatoes a year on a french fry line that’s described as

“state-of-the-art.” It was modeled after the $200 million production line

expansion that opened in Richland in late 2017 that processes 600 million

pounds of potatoes annually on three lines.

A

news release from Lamb Weston said the Hermiston “line is intended to support

growth in North America, as well as exports to Asia where demand growth has

been, and is expected to remain, strong.”

The

latest financials released from Lamb Weston include a seven percent increase in

net sales for the third quarter of 2019 to $927 million.

When

finished, the expansion underway in northeast Oregon is expected to add about

170 full-time jobs in Hermiston. There are no new jobs associated with the

storage facility being built in Paterson. The general contractor on the

Paterson project is Teton West of Pasco.