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Coca-Cola sales center to close in February

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The Coca-Cola sales center on High Street.

FARMINGTON – The local sales center for Coca-Cola will close in February, marking the apparent end of an era for the nearly 100-year-old plant.

The Farmington Sales Center will close on Feb. 22, following what Nick Martin, Coca-Cola of Northern New England’s director of public affairs & communications, called “thoughtful deliberation” regarding that region’s network of facilities. The closure will impact 12 employees at the center, located on High Street.

“As part of an ongoing effort to optimize Coca-Cola of Northern New England’s network of facilities throughout the Northeast, we have made the difficult decision to end operations at our Farmington Sales Center,” Martin said in an email Thursday afternoon.

All 12 associates at the center have been offered employment at Bangor and South Portland facilities, Martin said. Sales and distribution operations will shift to those locations.

“Regardless of whether they find new positions within the company, we will offer our support during this challenging time,” Martin said.

The Farmington plant has a long history, going back 90-plus years when it opened on High Street in 1922. The Trask family ran it until five years ago.

The sales and distribution center were acquired by Coca-Cola Refreshments USA, Inc. The new owners invested more than $1 million in the facility, with a number of local contractors completing 20,865-square-foot of new construction, including a newly-renovated warehouse and loading docks. That project was completed in 2015.

“We thank the Farmington team for their service and for developing a loyal base of customers in the market,” Martin said. “We are fortunate to serve so many valuable customers in Maine, and we’re committed to maintaining the excellent service that they have come to expect.”

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18 Comments

  1. Wow, Mills gets elected and Franklin County business are jumping ship. Oh…please Mrs. Governor, save our jobs.

  2. company get sold to an out of state business and nobody show this coming lol got some swamp land with water front property to sell you if you didnt

  3. I am sad to hear this news. I believe this compay is an asset to our town and to see it close after all these years is heartbreaking. More jobs lost…I am sorry for all the employees.

  4. All 12 employees were offered jobs at the Bangor and South Portland facilities…….That is quite a distance to travel for a job….do they also offer pay for traveling??

  5. “Cash” Clark started the company The Trask take over was essentially an intra family move

    Anyone still remember the Farmington Flyers of the old Down East League; “Coca Cola” across their shirt backs and Cash standing behind the dugout, Rutgers baseball team (quite a few) working at the plant in the summer?

  6. S’OK. Coke soda’s bad for you anyways. Rots your guts. Not the same since the feds took the coca leaves out of it.

  7. Oh, the memories… Flyers vs Augusta Millionaires, or Auburn Aces….Old Tom with Cash’s beautiful colt in sulky behind home plate between innings…..hot dogs at Georges…. the diner… a player named Johnny Perkalizzi SP?Those big red letters will be missed south of town….anyone else want to add some remembrances?

  8. Clark and now Trask? Maybe the Daily Bulldog ought to start researching it’s stories before publishing them.

  9. I remember how majestic “Cash” would look up on top of “King K “ , his Tennessee walking horse. He would ride up Anson hill. His groom , Tom Robinson, would let us kids paint oil on “ King Ks” hoofs , he was so gentle, but when Mr Clark took off on him let me tell you he was high stepping! My mother was a friend of Mr. Clarks,daughter, throughout high school. She wood tell us lots of stories about “the old days”. Boy did she love the baseball games.

  10. I remember when my father used to work on a race car there with Dave Clark I think it was. But we used to love to go there with him, we were so excited to see all those cases upon cases of soda there. Also remember Tom telling us we could have one. Love those good ole days.

  11. The Clark’s groom, Tom Robinson, was the Marshall at the fair races bringing the horses to post and winners to winners circle

  12. Bob please explain and show proof how this is President Trumps fault. If you can’t you should refrain from stupid political comments on a very serious situation in our community.

  13. Oh sorry I just keep hearing about the booming economy, however don’t see it around here. However it will be a huge empty parking lot now, the hugest, gunna be HUUUUGE.

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