Blue Buffalo Company broke ground on a new petfood manufacturing and distribution center in Joplin, Missouri, USA, which is expected to create up to 150 new local manufacturing jobs.

The US$85 million facility, being built for the company's Heartland Pet Products, will provide 400,000 square feet of space. Beginning in 2015, the petfood plant is expected to produce 30 million pounds of petfood per month at full capacity.

“Just as we saw this summer with Coca-Cola and Schaeffler Group USA, Joplin continues to see exciting economic developments, with another national brand like Blue Buffalo Company investing in this community,” Gov. Nixon said. “This is more evidence that Missouri’s stable and positive business climate is helping to move our economy forward, while creating jobs and prosperity for more Missourians.”