With a boost from the state, Blount Fine Foods, which stakes its origins to the area, will soon relocate its corporate headquarters from nearby Fall River to Rhode Island and Warren, specifically, for the time being.

Blount announced the move in a statement Monday afternoon, Jan. 27, hours after the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation approved a package of tax incentives for the company to initiate the change.

Blount's corporate team will formally occupy a transitional office in town in April. While there, the company will start the process of "designing and building its permanent headquarters in the East Bay."

A location for the new main offices has yet to be determined. Blount is "actively looking for towns, cities, and developers to partner on building its permanent location," the statement noted.

It continued, Blount is working with Union Studio Architects and Peregrine Group Real Estate Advisory to help accomplish its goal of creating "a building that will enable leading all aspects of the business while personifying Blount’s brand with a possible retail component for the public."

“We are so thrilled to be moving to our new facility,” said Todd Blount, CEO and President of Blount. “Our growth has led our team to a new model: we are a CPG marketing company with multiple plants and co-packers. Our plants have developed and progressed so much over the years, and this move will allow them to be accountable for their own success.”

Added Dan Crocker, Executive Vice President of Blount, "As part of our continued growth, we are thrilled to be expanding into this headquarters location, where we can bring our talented team together to drive Blount's future success while returning to our Rhode Island roots. This transitional headquarters is a great step toward our eventual vision of building a new corporate home in the next few years, where we plan to create a modern and dynamic workspace for our team and Blount's continued growth."

The statement emphasized the move will not impact the manufacturing plant and logistics center in Fall River.
The office in Warren "will allow the Blount team to grow its national marketing capability while enabling its manufacturing operations to have autonomy around the country. The corporate and executive teams will move to this location, consolidating all strategic and sales decision-making."

The R.I. Commerce Corp. approved Blount’s qualified job credits submission for the move earlier January 27. It provides Blount with $3.2 million in state tax incentives over a 10-year period to make the transition, which is expected to bring some 120 jobs to Rhode Island.

“Blount’s roots in Rhode Island date back more than a century. Since then, it has grown into a nationally recognized foodservice brand,” said Rhode Island Secretary of Commerce Liz Tanner. “Rhode Island Commerce is proud to support Blount Fine Foods, and we welcome their corporate headquarters to the Ocean State.”

The family-owned operation was created in 1880 on the shores of Barrington. Initially focused on seafood, founder F. Nelson Blount consolidated operations and incorporated Blount Seafood in Warren in 1946. Today, the company has plants in four states and produces hundreds of premium prepared food products for restaurants, institutions, retailers, and club stores in all 50 states.

“Consolidating our sales strategy and decision-making to Rhode Island will create efficiency for the supply chain and increase customer service and communication,” said Bob Sewall, Blount's Chief Customer Officer.