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During a special grand opening ceremony, Lamb Weston President and CEO Tom Werner was joined by local elected officials and Lamb Weston Hermiston employees to commemorate the occasion.

"This expansion allows us to meet the growing global demand for french fries," said Tom Werner. "We're proud to be part of the community in Hermiston, and we're especially grateful to our dedicated team and local partners who worked so diligently to make this expansion a reality."

The 300,000 square foot, state-of-the-art expansion adds a new processing line to the company's existing facility, increasing production capacity by approximately 300 million pounds annually. More than 500 employees will make nearly 750 million pounds of frozen french fries annually. Products made in Hermiston are served in restaurants in the U.S. and globally.

Lamb Weston partnered with several officials and organizations in Hermiston and Oregon to establish its plans for expansion to include: Governor Kate Brown's office, the City of Hermiston, Umatilla County & Commissioner Bill Elfering, and Rep. Greg Walden.

Lamb Weston is one of the area's largest employers. A frozen potato industry leader, the company operates 25 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe, China and Australia.

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