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Procter and Gamble announced that it will close the Vandalia offices of Iams and move those employees to P&G offices in Mason. Paul Iams founded the premium pet food company in 1946.

Staff photo by Ron Alvey Procter and Gamble announced that it will close the Vandalia offices of Iams and move those employees to P&G offices in Mason. Paul Iams founded the premium pet food company in 1946.

P&G to shut down Vandalia pet food complex Oct. 24

By John Nolan, Staff Writer Updated 7:18 PM Wednesday, August 26, 2009

VANDALIA — Procter & Gamble Co. will shut down the North American headquarters of its Iams-Eukanuba pet food business in Vandalia on or about Oct. 24, the consumer goods company informed city officials on Wednesday, Aug. 26.

City officials received the notification from P&G by overnight letter, said Rich Hopkins, a spokesman for the city administration.

That is in line with the time frame P&G outlined when the company announced in May that it had decided to relocate the 240-person pet food headquarters staff to P&G’s Mason Business Center complex, Hopkins said.

The Iams-Eukanuba pet food business has become global and P&G sees a benefit to giving the unit’s employees direct access to other P&G business units in Mason, the company has said.

Oct. 24 may turn out not to be the precise date for the shutdown, but it will be within 10 days of that date, P&G spokesman Jason Taylor said.

P&G’s tax payments for the Vandalia operation amount to about 5 percent of the city’s $12 million in yearly tax collections from all businesses, city officials have said.

P&G hired Jones Lang LaSalle, a commercial real estate consultant, to find a buyer for the 12-acre complex on Poe Avenue in Vandalia, which includes two buildings of about 53,000 square feet apiece just off Interstate 75.

“Nobody’s submitted formal offers yet. We have had some local interest,” said Ben Herrig, a vice president for Jones Lang LaSalle in Chicago. He declined to say who had expressed interest.

His company plans an Oct. 8 online auction in hopes of selling the complex as quickly as possible for P&G. Herrig said he expects the sale to close in late November.

The transfer does not affect P&G’s pet food manufacturing plant and technical center at Lewisburg in Preble County, which collectively employ between 250 and 300 people, Taylor said.

P&G said this week that it has sold its prescription drug business to drug maker Warner Chilcott for $3.1 billion. P&G’s pharmaceutical division is based in Mason and has about 520 pharmaceutical employees there. That sale won’t affect the relocation of the pet food business, P&G said.

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It's all bushes fault. How long will that excuse be used?? Our society in general does not want to take responsibility for our actions. Cause and effect is still true.
There really are answers to all of these problems, people just don't want to face reality.
You have to spend less than you make. If we followed that simple idea we would not have near the problems we are facing now.

post me
10:16 AM, 8/27/2009

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I'm from Cleveland and I get news headlines from Crain's every morning. The comments here are exactly the same ones I read in the Cleveland paper! We are losing job to other cities, too. Whose to blame?...the companies? the politicians? the state? the economy? From reading this P&G had planned this along time ago and it does make good business sense.

Joann
9:54 AM, 8/27/2009

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I worked at Iams for 5 years and was there during the P&G purchase. The moving of the HQ's has been a long time coming. The move has nothing to do with Local, State, or Federal Gov't. So don't blame them. This is purely a business decision by P&G that makes sense. Staff reduction has been going on since 2001, with most being relocated to Cinci. and Mason. The staff that are left were well aware that the HQ was going to get moved and most are surprised it has taken this long to happen.

Kevin J
9:29 AM, 8/27/2009

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Ray, Dayton has a task force to attract AND retain businesses to the Dayton area. Their primary focus should be to retain and help promote and grow the businesses we already have! Secondly to attract new businesses to the Dayton area! Find out what Indianapolis is doing so well to help retain AND attract new businesses and duplicate the efforts here in Dayton! Look how many opportunities we have lost to Indy, including the US Mail service. Use the local colleges for ideas to help Dayton!

Ron
9:29 AM, 8/27/2009

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ron - what effort would you have specifically made to keep iams or those other businesses in town?

ray
9:06 AM, 8/27/2009

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