Pepsi Bottling Ventures has officially stopped production

Salisbury, Md. – After more than a century of production, Pepsi Bottling Ventures in Salisbury has permanently stopped. Local experts say this could affect not only the workers but also the economy.

End of an Era

While a bottle of Pepsi only costs a few bucks, for some, it costs them their jobs. And for the Lower Eastern Shore, the question is, will it also cost our economy? Pepsi Bottling Ventures has been in operation for 109 years, and November 22, 2024, was its last day of operation at the Snow Hill Road location. Their closure follows Cadista Pharmaceuticals’ closing earlier this year.

Expansion

David Ryan, Executive Director of Salisbury Wicomico Economic Development or SWED, says this is merely an opportunity to expand. “Nothing lasts forever, nothing will stay the same, it will continue to evolve… Our goal is to continue to diversify the economic base, so we’re less reliant on any one industry or any one company for our economic viability.”

He goes on to say, “If you look at our economy, we’re grounded in agriculture and poultry, that clearly a solid foundation. Then the higher education sector is important, the health care sector is important, manufacturing as a whole is important… The more economic clusters we have, the more immune we’ll be to any big significant impact on our economy.”

Employees 

Roughly 20 workers were affected by the shutdown. Pepsi informed their team members back in September that they would be closing and would help with the transition, saying in part quote:

“Production for our Maryland and Delaware locations will be moved to North Carolina as part of our continued optimization of operations. We are grateful for the 109-year legacy our Snow Hill Road location has in the community and thankful for our team members and their contributions.”

Bonnie Nay, Job placement coordinator of the Lower Shore Workforce Alliance says they have created a Rapid Response to help affected. “If they’re interested in possibly changing careers and getting some training to lead to a new career or ways that they can seek other employment doing similar work, that they were already doing at Pepsi. So, kind of presenting them with different resources and different options.”

Exit 

While it’s hard to know how much this affects the lower eastern shore. For people like Lonnie Stamps, who worked at the plant for 5 years, it will be a transition moving forward. “It was a little shocking when the news came. But we just held through to the end… They did pretty well, amiss everything that happened the past couple months, they did us pretty well.”

Education

Though bottling production has halted, other operations will continue, and Pepsi will continue to be a staple in the community. The Lower Shore Workforce Alliance says they provide assistance for youth and adults, and for business and individual seeking employment opportunities and educational expansion. If you or someone you know is in need of work-related assistance, call 410-341-3835.