Mt. Olive Pickle honors colleague, friend
By Steve Herring
Published in News on October 4, 2015 1:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Executive Chairman of the Mt. Olive Pickle Co. Bill Bryan speaks to the crowd in attendance for the ribbon cutting ceremony for the John N. Walker Warehouse on Thursday.
MOUNT OLIVE -- Sisters Lea and Ann Walker couldn't help but slip in a few pickle puns during Thursday's ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Mt. Olive Pickle Co.'s new warehouse named in memory of their father, John N. "Johnny" Walker.
After all, the puns were Walker's trademark during his more than 40 years with the company including 35 as president. The daughters inherited the pun gene, especially Ann Walker, Lea Walker said.
The warehouse is housed in the 55,000-square-feet shell building in the Mount Olive Industrial Park that the pickle company purchased from the county for $650,000 in early April.
It sits on a 10-acre site.
The warehouse project represents an approximately $2.1 million investment by the company, said Bobby Frye, president and CEO. In the time since it was purchased, a concrete floor, lights and sprinkler system have been added and pallets of pickles have already been moved in.
The extra space, which will hold about 630,000 cases, is needed because of the company's continued growth.
"This year we project unit growth of approximately 8 percent, which is good in our industry which has been flat over time," Frye said. "We try to budget annual growth of 3 to 5 percent.
"So hopefully we will be coming back in the area and continuing to invest in Wayne County."
The Walker sisters said the ceremony was "wonderful."
"When we responded (to the invitation) we said Daddy would be thrilled and Mother would be so pleased at this occasion and this recognition," said Ann Walker of Winston-Salem. "One of the things for a pickle packer is you have a pretty high chance of being well-preserved. Daddy would be glad that even in the hereafter he is still in the warehouse pushing pickles."
Her sister agreed.
"It was such an honor," said Lea Walker.
Walker was an important part of the company, said Chuck Allen, Wayne County Development Alliance president.
The Alliance built the building years ago, he said.
Allen praised the cooperative effort between the county, company, Mount Olive, which is working for the betterment of all of the county and even the region
"As far as Mt. Olive Pickle, you don't get any better than Mt. Olive Pickle, (company executive chairman) Bill Bryan and his staff," Allen said. "We are really fortunate to have them here in Wayne County."
Wayne County Commission Chairman Wayne Aycock joked that the shell building is finally on the tax books.
On a more serious note he said it was good to see an existing county industry continue to grow.
Town Commissioner Joe Scott, who was the Walkers' neighbor for 22 years, called the warehouse a "great achievement."
"Mt. Olive Pickle Co. has played an important part in the growth of Mount Olive," he said. "It is the largest independent pickle company in the United States. The company has been a good corporate citizen for Mount Olive and the community at large."
Bryan thanked the county, Development Alliance and the town for its assistance for the company being able to purchase and renovate the building in a "timely fashion."
Having the shell building available meant that the company did not have to go out of the county to make an investment, he said.
Bryan also echoed Allen's comments about the level of cooperation across the county.
When the company started in 1926, it had one acre and $19,000. The idea was to create a local market for farmers, Bryan said.
Today, the company has approximately 130 acres in the county and almost one million square feet of office, production and warehouse space.
It also pays $450,000 in county property taxes, he said.
"We give away about $450,000 in cash contributions to organizations in the area," Bryan said. "We donate another quarter million dollars of products to the food bank and other organizations.
"We continue to buy a lot of cucumbers in North Carolina. Today we are buying a 170 million bushels of produce throughout North America and elsewhere with a little more than 50 million of that still coming from the state of North Carolina."