Project Shakespeare Would Rank as Canby’s Second Largest Employer

It’s not exactly surprising that a new development the size of the proposed Project Shakespeare would make a huge impact on Canby. It’s a warehouse and distribution facility about two and a half times the size of the Canby Fred Meyer, and that’s before two expansions that are planned for sometime in the future.

Exactly how big the impact will be remains to be seen. One thing we do know is that the proposed beverage distribution facility would come in as the city of Canby’s second-largest employer if it meets its planned staffing level of 242 full-time employees.

That would put it second only to Fred Meyer — yes, the same Fred Meyer that could fit inside Project Shakespeare twice, with room to spare. Freddy’s employs about 280 people in Canby. Rounding out the current top five are Johnson Controls, at 238; Kendal Floral, at 220; Milwaukee Electronics NW, at 195; and Shimadzu USA, at 180.

(Note: Because of when these numbers were retrieved, it’s possible that the employment statistics for Fred Meyer are inflated due to seasonal hiring. A firm number for Canby FM’s year-round staffing level is not available at this time.)

Of course, we don’t yet know if the project involves 240 actual job openings, or just the shifting of already filled positions from other facilities, since the identity of the tenant their exact plans are re: employment have not been confirmed.

Whatever the case may be, it seems clear that injecting that many new working employees in Canby will obviously be seen and felt in many ways. That’s more cars on the roads, and more potential customers for local goods, services and housing.

Here’s the city’s top employers, courtesy Canby Business: