Loan gives Zidian boost

Zidian Manufacturing Inc. will create 58 full-time jobs in Boardman after receiving a $600,000 state research and development and investment loan Monday from the Ohio Development Financing Advisory Council for an $11.05 million project.
The investment, which also will retain 58 full-time jobs, will include $6.5 million for building, $3.8 million for machinery and equipment and $740,000 for other investments, according to the Regional Chamber.
The average hourly wage for new positions will be $12.75.
Zidian’s Summer Garden Food Manufacturing produces its flagship brand, Gia Russa, as well as celebrity chef brands, private label and store brands.
The company’s 10-acre campus on McClurg Road includes a “Green LEED Certified” food manufacturing facility, as well as a building housing onsite research and development center, quality assurance laboratories and a Culinary Arts Center.
In 2010, an adjacent building and property were purchased to expand warehousing and distribution.

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