Velvet Ice Cream, Utica, Ohio, broke ground on a $3 million, 21,000-square-foot facility expansion, adding a brand new state-of-the-art warehouse freezer distribution facility to the Utica plant at Ye Olde Mill, more than doubling the company's freezing and picking capacity.

"With steady growth that has taken the company from $25 million in revenue in 2009 to more than $30 million in 2014, we are nearly at capacity with our existing distribution facility," says Luconda Dager, president. "This new development allows us to improve sustainability, sharpen efficiencies and produce more delicious Velvet Ice Cream in order to meet increased demand."

The expansion project is projected to take 7-8 months and is expected to be operational by April 2016. Currently employing a staff of 125, the new distribution facility will add eight new employees in its picking and shipping operations. The project also uses the latest green technology, minimizing the company's environmental footprint via environmentally friendly design, motion-controlled energy efficient lighting, state-of-the-art insulating panels and high-speed automated doors.