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MassDevelopment In The News
Cindy's Kitchen Opens New Headquarters in Brockton
July 11, 2007: The Enterprise, by Peter Cox
BROCKTON — Cindy's Kitchen, a local company that makes all-natural dips and dressings, opened its new headquarters on Tuesday with a promise to hire up to 300 new employees in the next few years.
"We've had 30 to 40 applications every day," said Ed Byers, owner and founder of the company.
"We make dressing, but we are really here to change people's lives," said Byers. "We will do the best we can."
The 10-year-old company ships its organic products across the country and to Puerto Rico, supplying major restaurants, grocery stores and hotels.
The company has been growing quickly, especially since celebrity chef Rachel Ray named its ranch dressing the best in the country.
Cindy's Kitchen was founded by Byers and his wife, Cindy, both Brockton natives, in 1997.
He said they had many opportunities to move their company to other parts of the country, but decided to stay in Brockton, saying their primary business goal is to help revitalize the Brockton community.
Local community organizations are helping Cindy's Kitchen reach its goals. Churches are helping the company find people who need work, and government and nonprofit corporations have provided funding, company leaders said.
"Commitment among entrepreneurs is rare," said Robert Culver, president and CEO of MassDevelopment, which helped fund the company's new location.
"They don't have to be here. They had lucrative opportunities to leave," Culver said at the grand opening Tuesday. "But they have a commitment to Brockton and to their employees."
With the new 30,000-square-foot property at 140 Industrial Blvd., the company plans to hire 50 new employees immediately, Byers said.
New jobs will include all aspects of production, such as cooking products, packaging and shipping, he said.
The company currently employs 70 people and provides employees with gourmet lunches, rides to work, child care and help with health care, Byers said.
He said he also hopes to provide employees with an affordable housing neighborhood in the next couple of years, allowing them to own their own homes with help from his company.
Byers formerly owned a chain of upscale restaurants stretching from Florida to Boston, but left the business to found his company in Brockton. Byers said that since he and his wife have no children, their employees are their family.
"It's a story that doesn't get told about Brockton," said Byers. "It's the best workforce on the East Coast."
© Copyright 2007 The Enterprise.
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