Hershey Foods Corp. will build a 1.1 million-sq.-ft. distribution center in the Gateway Commerce Center, a 2,300-acre business park in Madison County, IL. Expected to be operational by March 2004, the distribution center will employ more than 200 people.

A producer of par-baked bread, rolls and bagels for in-store bakery and foodservice markets, Maple Leaf Bakery will expand its distribution center in Roanoke, VA. The $11 million expansion will result in a new training center and classroom as well as the addition of 45 employees.

After losing its previous cooked meat facility to tornado damage, Cooper Farms rebuilt its facility in Van Wert, OH. The new facility has stainless steel wall and ceiling panels, a clean room with separate air and drain systems, a new drain system with stainless steel catch basins, and a dry storage area for raw and cooked packaging.

Inn Foods, Inc., a re-packer of frozen foods, completed a $3.5 million expansion of its principal repacking plant in Castroville, CA. The expansion doubled production capacity and upgraded the facilities to meet USDA meat and poultry requirements.