Alleghany Lands Balchem Corp. 55 Jobs

A publicly traded company that manufactures ingredients used in food, pharmaceuticals and animal nutrition announced plans today to establish an operation in Alleghany County, investing approximately $10 million and creating 55 new jobs within two to three years.

Balchem Corporation, which is based in New Hampton, N.Y., will manufacture encapsulated ingredients for global applications used in animal nutrition and health products. The company plans to acquire a vacant, 68,000-square-foot building currently owned by the county, located in the Alleghany Regional Commerce Center.

Speaking about today’s announcement, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said, “Alleghany County is the ideal location for Balchem Corporation’s first Virginia operation. The strategic location with direct access to Interstates 64 and 81 allows the company to easily serve its customer base in the Northeast and Midwest. In addition, the region offers a business-friendly and available labor force. Balchem will provide 55 new jobs over the next two to three years and help contribute to the diversification of Alleghany's manufacturing sector, and we thank the company for this significant investment in the Commonwealth.”

Balchem has three business segments: ARC Specialty Products; food, pharmaceutical and nutrition; and animal nutrition and health. Through ARC Specialty Products, Balchem provides specialty-packaged chemicals for use in healthcare and other industries. The food, pharma and nutrition segment provides proprietary microencapsulation, granulation and agglomeration solutions to a variety of applications in the human food, pharmaceutical and nutrition marketplaces.

The animal nutrition and health segment manufactures and supplies products to numerous animal health markets and certain derivative products into industrial applications. Balchem is on the Forbes list of the 100 best small companies in America.