PepsiCo, Inc. will invest $140 million to construct a manufacturing and distribution facility in Wythe County’s Progress Park, creating 250 jobs. The company will produce Gatorade Thirst Quencher, the world’s number one sports drink, and Prope Fitness Water. Virginia successfully competed against Maryland and North Carolina for the project.

Gatorade is based in Chicago and is manufactured by PepsiCo. Headquartered in Purchase, N.Y., PepsiCo is a world leader in convenient foods and beverages, with 2004 revenues of more than $29 billion and 153,000 employees. PepsiCo brands include Gatorade, Tropicana, Quaker Oats, Frito-Lay and Pepsi Cola.

“We are excited to award Virginia as the site of our newest plant,” said Chuck Maniscalco, president of Gatorade. “The Wytheville area is a wonderful community and an important transportation hub to the Mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley. We weighed many economic, community and resource factors in our final decision, and we are happy to call the Commonwealth home to our eighth manufacturing and distribution facility.”

Gov. Warner approved a $750,000 grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to assist Wythe County with the project. The Governor also approved a $1.5 million grant from the Virginia Investment Partnership program, a performance-based incentive available to qualifying existing Virginia firms, to close the deal.

The company is eligible to receive rail access funding through the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation and road access funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation.

The Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission approved $600,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds for the project. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide training assistance through its Workforce Services Program.