General Mills Unveils $54 Million Expansion of James Ford Bell Technical Center
General Mills on Aug. 26 broke ground on a $54 million expansion of its James Ford Bell Technical Center in Golden Valley, Minn., a key hub for the company’s innovation, technology and quality capabilities.
The expansion will add a 35,000-sq.-ft., two-story pilot plant wing, increasing pilot plant space by more than 20% and providing state-of-the-art facilities for its research and development teams. It will provide flexible spaces to accelerate research and innovation across the company’s business units, offering greater flexibility to meet evolving demands and providing more space for both core growth and new business initiatives.
This is the largest investment made to date in the Technical Center to date, which was built in 1960 and is staffed by approximately 1,000 employees. The new space is scheduled to open in the fall of 2027.
“This expansion is a critical step in ensuring General Mills remains at the forefront of innovation,” said Lanette Shaffer Werner, chief innovation, technology and quality officer.
About the Author
Dave Fusaro
Editor in Chief
Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.