Coca Cola Enterprises

Coke plant to invigorate economy, officials sayELLICOTT CITY -- As far as Howard County is concerned, things will indeed go better with Coke, local business people say. Much, much better.It's not merely the $4 million a year the company is expected to add to the county budget by way of corporate property taxes or the 700 new workers who will be assigned to Coke's state-of-the-art production and distribution facility in Dorsey.It's also what Rouse Co. Vice President Alton J. Scavo ecstatically calls "the wonderful spinoffs" -- a new economic vitality created by an increased demand for local goods and services combined with help for schools and non-profits from "an established, world-class corporate citizen."

Coke plant to invigorate economy, officials sayELLICOTT CITY -- As far as Howard County is concerned, things will indeed go better with Coke, local business people say. Much, much better.It's not merely the $4 million a year the company is expected to add to the county budget by way of corporate property taxes or the 700 new workers who will be assigned to Coke's state-of-the-art production and distribution facility in Dorsey.It's also what Rouse Co. Vice President Alton J. Scavo ecstatically calls "the wonderful spinoffs" -- a new economic vitality created by an increased demand for local goods and services combined with help for schools and non-profits from "an established, world-class corporate citizen."

Have a Coke and a smile, Maryland.Indeed, the reports that Coca-Cola Enterprises plans to build a state-of-the-art manufacturing and bottling plant in Dorsey has Howard County and state officials grinning like those happy, soda-sipping folks from the soft drink commercials."

Have a Coke and a smile, Maryland.Indeed, the reports that Coca-Cola Enterprises plans to build a state-of-the-art manufacturing and bottling plant in Dorsey has Howard County and state officials grinning like those happy, soda-sipping folks from the soft drink commercials."

The Westminster Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Inc. will sell soda, but no longer bottle it after being sold to a Coke affiliate last week.Seven people were laid off Wednesday as a result of the sale to Coca-Cola Enterprises North Inc. in Columbia, Howard County, a spokeswoman said.The employees all worked in production, said Katherine E. Whiting, manager of public affairs. Sales, office and support staff were notaffected, she said.The sale was finalized Tuesday, she said. Shewould not disclose the price.

Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. announced yesterday that its sister company, Coca-Cola USA, has decided to join it at its new plant in Howard County -- boosting the number of anticipated workers by 250, to 750."This is a blockbuster not only for Howard County, but for all of Maryland," said Mark L. Wasserman, secretary of the state's Department of Economic and Employment Development."It's a significant victory that should give everybody heart about Maryland and its competitiveness."While the state has worked closely with the companies to streamline the process of building the plant, Maryland is not providing any financial assistance, Mr. Wasserman said.

Despite an announcement that the Coca-Cola Co. and its affiliated bottlers plan to invest a record $3 billion next year to construct new plants and upgrade others, a Howard County site slated to contain a state-of-the-art bottling facility will likely remain barren.Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., the affiliated Atlanta-based bottler that owns the Howard County land, says the decision to continue postponing construction of a planned nine-story plant is the result of fundamental changes in the soft drink industry.

Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. has signed a letter of intent to buy 120 acres in Howard County where it would build a $100 million regional headquarters and bottling plant, people with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed yesterday.The proposed 650,000-square-foot building would be the largest manufacturing plant in the county, though not the largest employer. The plant, which is designed to serve the East Coast, is expected to have 300 to 500 employees and would consolidate a number of smaller bottling plants in the mid-Atlantic region.

Howard County has proposed reopening its Deep Run wastewater treatment plant to handle waste from Coca-Cola Enterprise's new syrup production and bottling plant in Dorsey.The treatment facility off Race Road in Elkridge has been closed since the mid-1980s. It has the capacity to treat 1 million gallons of effluent daily.Maryland Environmental Services, a quasi-state agency that oversees wastewater treatment plants, would have to approve opening the plant.County officials have made the proposal to Coca-Cola Enterprises, which plans to build a $150 million bottling and syrup plant in the Parkway Corporate Center.

Coca-Cola USA will not build a $60 million soft drink syrup plant in Harford, dashing county officials' hopes for as many as 120 new full-time jobs.The world's largest soft drink maker allowed its option on a 30-acre site at the Riverside Business Park to expire.That means Coke, which spent $3 million studying the site and designing a plant, essentially walked away from the deal.Atlanta-based officials at Coca-Cola USA have not decided where to build the plant, a spokesman said."Nothing definitive has been decided," said Randy Donaldson, vice president of public relations for Coca-Cola USA."

The Westminster Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Inc. will sell soda, but no longer bottle it after being sold to a Coke affiliate last week.Seven people were laid off Wednesday as a result of the sale to Coca-Cola Enterprises North Inc. in Columbia, Howard County, a spokeswoman said.The employees all worked in production, said Katherine E. Whiting, manager of public affairs. Sales, office and support staff were notaffected, she said.The sale was finalized Tuesday, she said. Shewould not disclose the price.

The Mid-Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Inc. and Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. are offering $10,000 scholarships to the winners of a Black History Month Essay Contest.Students in Baltimore and in Washington, D.C., will be asked to address the topic, "The Value of an Education -- Within the Context of Black History Month."Febaruary is Black History Month.The contest is open to both minority and non-minority high school students in grades 9 through 12. The winner in each city is to be awarded a $10,000 scholarship.

The Westminster Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Inc. could close this spring if a sale to a Coke affiliate goes through as planned.The owners of Westminster Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Inc. at 525 Old Westminster Pike are negotiating with Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., but the sale is not final, the Westminster executive vice president said.The owners signed a letter of intent to sell the company, but details have to be worked out, said Frank H. Libman, who runs theplant with his brother-in-law.The plant employs 58 people, 55 of whom work full-time, Libman said.