Bakery expanding, adding 75 jobs in Southwest Va.

A Southwest Virginia bakery facility is set to undergo a multimillion-dollar expansion.

Empire Bakery Commissary LLC plans to invest $10.4 million to expand a facility and create 75 new jobs in the Town of Rocky Mount in Franklin County just south of Roanoke. The company is a commercial producer of ready-made cakes, cookies and single-serve desserts.

Virginia successfully competed against Utah, Texas, Arizona and Oklahoma for Empire Bakery’s investment, according to a press release.

Gov. Ralph Northam approved a $225,000 grant from Commonwealth's Opportunity Fund to help Franklin with securing the project. The Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission approved $140,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds for the project.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Franklin, Rocky Mount, the Roanoke Regional Partnership and the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission to get the project in Virginia.

Empire Bakery offers ready-to-sell goods for retailers across the U.S. The company has been a Virginia employer since 1997 and has nearly 140 employees at its Franklin facility. Empire Bakery has its headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio.