A SWEET DEAL | MARS
By Chris Marshall
Photo by JOHN BURNS
For Walmart, the largest company by revenue on Earth, to confirm a multimillion-dollar venture in Kansas, it only needed to look one "planet" over. Mars built a plant in Topeka in 2014, its first U.S. facility in 35 years, and has exceeded expectations ever since.
Originally expected to create 200 jobs when it first opened, Mars announced in April 2022 an additional investment of $175 million into its chocolate manufacturing facility. The expansion included new equipment, additional production of candy lines and created another 100 jobs.
“We currently have well over 500 jobs here at the Topeka factory,” said site director Brian Pardo, who’s worked for Mars for 14 years including the past two in Topeka. “We are in the process of hiring more associates to meet our current expansion plans. We anticipate that we’ll have 600 jobs by the end of 2023.”
BRIAN PARDO | Factory Director Mars Wrigley | Photo by John Burns
In total since 2014, Mars has invested over $750 million into the community. Snickers production has expanded, Milky Way and 3 Musketeers were added in 2022, and Pardo said more varieties of M&M’s will be added by the end of 2023.
“Mars has grown at a much faster rate than they or we thought,” Howey said, “and I think that's proof that their decision was a good one. It was a great fit for them to be in Topeka. Expanding their lines that they are producing here in Topeka helps position them for more growth in the future.”
Mars and Walmart both built in the Kanza Fire Business Park, fittingly located at the corner of Topeka Boulevard and SW Innovation Parkway. While the smell of chocolate wafting through the air is a nice plus, it’s not the reason that Walmart chose its space. GO Topeka has the ability to grant companies free land on plots the organization owns, including Kanza Fire Business Park and Central Crossing Commerce Park, which is farther north on Topeka Boulevard, and home to Frito-Lay, and Target and Home Depot distribution centers.
“Some companies find locations that are more suited for their unique needs elsewhere in the county,” Howey said. “We make it very clear that whether they choose a site that we own or not, we would offset the cost of their land purchases at the same value as ours in order to not compete with other developers and landowners.”
