CJ Strives to Boost Investments in U.S.

Chmn. Lee Jay-hyun of CJ Group, a member of an economic delegation who accompanied President Lee Jae-myung on a Korea-U.S. summit, poses with other delegates prior to the “Korea-U.S. Business Roundtable” at Willard InterContinental Washington in Washington DC on Aug. 26. They are (from left) Chmn. Koo Ja-eun of LS Group, Vice Chmn. Kim Sang-hyun of Lotte Group, Chmn. Lee of CJ Group, Chmn. Huh Tae-soo of GS Group, Chmn. David M. Rubenstein of Carlyle Group, President Choi Soo-yeon of Naver, Chmn. Jin Roy Ryu of the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), Chmn. Lee Jay-yong of Samsung Electronics, Chmn. Chung Eui-sun of Hyundai Motor Group, land Chmn. Choi Yoon-beom of Korea Zinc. (Photo: FKI)

Chmn. Lee Jay-hyun of CJ Group joined business leaders in accompanying President Lee Jae-myung on his first economic delegation to the Korea-U.S. summit, CJ Group is expected to accelerate efforts to boost its investments into the U.S. food, beauty, content and logistics sectors.

The Korea-U.S. summit served as an opportunity for CJ Group to ramp up cooperation with U.S. companies, as the business group has designated the United States as a global center for food, beauty, content and logistics.

Business sources said CJ Group Chmn. Lee had a broad range of topics related to the group’s businesses, such as “K-culture” and “K-food” with U.S. business leaders in Washington DC on Aug. 25.

It was the second time CJ Group Chmn. Lee accompanied the president as part of an economic delegation to the U.S. summit since 2023, when former President Yoon Suk-yeol made the trip.

Chmn. Lee attended the Korea-U.S. Business Round Table reception following his participation in the Korea-U.S. Business Round Table, a gathering of Korean and U.S. government officials and business leaders.

During the reception, Chmn. Lee had a meeting with business leaders, such as ENVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and CEO and Chmn. Charles Rivkin of the Motion Picture Association.

Chmn. Lee reportedly took up topics, such as K-pop and K-food on the back of the spread of K-culture.

Korean companies, including CJ. Promised to invest a combined $150 billion (209.55 trillion won) in the United States. CJ’s detailed investment size was not known.

CJ is likely to expand investments in the United States, the group’s global business center. Currently, CJ’s current investment in the United States stands at $832 million (1,15 trillion won).

In the food sector, CJ Schwan’s, a frozen food subsidiary of CJ CHEILJEDANG, is building a plant in South Dakota whose dedication is slated for 2027. Its investment amounts to $550 million.

CJ Logistics is setting up a warehouse in cooperation with Korea Ocean Business Corp. by investing a combined $228 million. The company is constructing logistics centers in Chicago and New York.

CJ Foodville plans to build a bread production plant measuring 90,000 sq. meters in size in Georgia by investing 70 billion won this year.

CJ Olive Young plans to open physical outlets in the United States next year.

CJ CGV is expected to expand infrastructure and anchor content. The company operated 58 4DX and 85 SCREENX theaters in the United States as of last year.

A CJ Group official said, “We will carry out the businesses we have been investing in areas, such as food, content and logistics without a hitch.”

Meanwhile, CJ Group saw its cumulative investment amount in the United States surge to 8 trillion won since 1978 when the business group opened a representative office in Los Angeles. The group’s local employees stand at 12,000.

CJ Schwan’s Joins Kansas Leaders to Celebrate Newly Opened Distribution Center

CJ Schwan’s, a leading food producer in the United States, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 7 in Salina, Kansas, to celebrate the completion of a new 140,000-square-foot distribution center.

The company’s leaders joined Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, Rep. Tracey Mann and other state and local officials at the event, which was held at CJ Schwan’s pizza production facility in Salina.

“We are deeply appreciative of the state and local officials who helped us bring this major investment in the Salina community to life. I am impressed with the commitment they have for economic growth and creating opportunities for the people of Kansas,” said CJ Schwan’s CEO Brian Schiegg.

“Our new distribution center plays an important role in supporting our customers, brands and strategic growth plans for the future.”

Construction on the new distribution center began in 2023 and was completed earlier this year.

The facility provides a centralized location to store and transport food made at CJ Schwan’s facilities throughout the United States, including the Red Baron and Tony’s pizzas made by CJ Schwan’s in Salina.

The state-of-the-art distribution center - which is now the tallest building in Salina at 144 feet - includes a 38,000-pallet-position racking system with three automated pallet cranes, 12 loading docks and office space.

The new distribution center supports a much larger project that was completed by the company in 2023. At that time, the company added 400,000-square-feet of manufacturing space to its Salina campus.

The manufacturing and distribution center projects together have resulted in the addition of about 225 jobs. Overall, the CJ Schwan’s campus in Salina is the largest pizza production facility in the world, with more than 1 million square feet.

The company first purchased the pizza plant in Salina in 1970, when the facility was only 18,000 square feet. The facility has seen more than 80 additions over the past five decades.

CJ Schwan’s has continued to invest in the Salina facility to support its growth initiatives in the retail and food-service markets in the U.S. and abroad.

To help facilitate its recent projects, the company has worked with various federal, state and local public agencies and officials in Kansas, including the offices of Gov. Laura Kelly and U.S. Sen.

Jerry Moran, the Kansas departments of Commerce and Transportation, the Salina Community Economic Development Organization, the city of Salina, the Salina Airport Authority, Saline County and Salina Area Chamber of Commerce on economic development and incentive opportunities.