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ConAgra Foods, Inc., a global producer of name-brand consumer foods like Chef Boyardee and Hunt’s, is planning a $200 million expansion project in Boardman.

The publicly traded company announced this month it will begin construction early next year of a 192,000-square-foot expansion at its Lamb Weston frozen potato facility. The expansion will increase French fry making capacity via a new production line, and the company anticipates hiring 100 additional employees.

Lamb Weston is purchasing 25 acres of adjacent land from the Port of Morrow for $750,000 ($30,000 an acre), and Lisa Mittelsdorf, director of economic development for the port, said the port will make some infrastructure improvements to that land. She said the port intends to apply for a combination of grants and loans from the state in order to do the work.

Once complete, the port will supply Lamb Weston with water and waste water services, as it does with other tenants.

ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston operates seven facilities in the region and employs 4,500 people, of which 500 work in Boardman.