From the Central New York Business Journal
SYRACUSE — To accommodate strong sales growth, Byrne Dairy is planning a new corporate headquarters by 2010.
Carl V. Byrne, president of Byrne Dairy, explains, “The company needs to build or buy a new corporate headquarters … which will require between 15,000 and 22,000 square feet on a four- to five-acre site. [We plan on] moving 60 employees to the new facility … The location should be in Onondaga County within a 15-minute drive of the existing plants … The move is planned for 2009 or 2010. “Double digit growth over the last five years is [driving the need] to expand our production facilities,” says Byrne, a third-generation employee. “The fluid plant at 240 Oneida St. in Syracuse needs more capacity ... [To accommodate this expansion], we have to move the current offices, which occupy 12,000 square feet. The footprint at the [Oneida Street] plant doesn’t allow for any additional construction.” The facility contains 90,000 square feet.
The ultra-pasteurization plant (UP) located on Benedict Road in DeWitt also provides no further room for more development beyond what is already planned. Built in 2003, the original 42,000-square-foot structure is currently being expanded by another 55,000 square feet, in anticipation of new products coming on-line in 2009. Although the DeWitt location is situated on 20 acres, Byrne Dairy’s corporate plans have already committed the entire site for development. The third production facility is the ice-cream plant, located on Cortland Avenue in Syracuse. This site also offers no space for expansion. Byrne Dairy produces milk, cream, juices, ice cream, UP milk and creams, and butter, cheese, and cultured products. The company has more than 50 retail and distribution locations. The UP plant services the Eastern half of the U.S., with 80 to 90 percent of its product shipped out-of-state. Byrne produces under multiple labels: Byrne, Organic Valley Family of Farms, Sealtest, and Great Value, a brand created by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. The ultra plant, which now processes 3,200 gallons per hour, should increase in October 2008 by another 5,000 gallons per hour. The ultra plant extends the products’ shelf life from 20 days to 90 days. The family-owned business is compromised of three corporations: Byrne Dairy, Inc.; Ultra, LLC; and SonByrne, Inc. in Weedsport, which operates as the retail arm. Byrne employs 550, SonByrne 650, and Ultra 90.
In 2004, the company’s peers recognized Byrne Dairy as the “AllStar Dairy of the Year.” The AllStar Dairy Association presented the award at its annual convention.