Wenner Bread renews 10-year lease for Ronkonkoma facility
From left, Richard R. Wenner, co-owner of Wenner Bread Products Inc., and David Wayne Drake, director of bakery operations are shown in the dough forming section of the manufacturing plant. (May 17, 2011) Credit: Newsday / Karen Wiles Stabile
Wenner Bread Products Inc., a Ronkonkoma company that was considering a move out of state, has renewed its headquarters' lease, according to the business' landlord.
Wenner, which makes bread products and frozen dough, signed a 10-year lease renewal on its headquarters and plant at 2001 Orville Dr. N. with the building's owner, Plainview-based Rechler Equity Partners.
It is unclear if the business may still move parts of its operation out-of-state. The company has four additional plants in Bayport. Wenner did not return a request for comment.
In October, the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency offered the company $503,197 in tax breaks over 10 years for its Ronkonkoma location after Wenner said it had found another location out-of-state with offers of tax incentives that could house its entire operation with room for expansion. Wenner accepted the incentives package in November, said Suffolk IDA executive director Anthony Manetta.
The IDA's help was of "critical importance, we knew that was going to be necessary to keep them," said Mitchell Rechler, a managing partner at Rechler.
The IDA's deal would help retain 170 jobs in the Ronkonkoma plant. The company currently employs 600 workers on Long Island among all its facilities.
"The latest I’ve heard from the company is they’re still in decision making process on if they’re going to be expanding locally or out-of-state," Manetta said.
