Construction already is under way, as huge trucks rumbling past the ceremony site demonstrated. The Tremonton facility will be the company's fourth, and the first outside its home state of Iowa.

"This is a critically important opportunity," Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said. "Five hundred jobs — the way in which it multiplies out there to so many various related sectors and impacts positively our agricultural base. We forget that it's still a very big part of who we are as a people, a big part of our economy."

Utah officials offered West Liberty up to $2 million in tax rebates, and the governor said he is "thrilled and gratified" the company selected Utah. He also promised West Liberty a great work force.

"You're not just going to be employing 500 people," he told company officials. "You're going to be employing 500 of the best people in the world. ... You're going to find that your first foray out of Iowa ... will be your best anywhere in the country, including Iowa."

West Liberty will not be alone in Tremonton. Millard Refrigerated Services Inc. has formed an alliance with the company in Utah for a cold storage portion of the project, strengthening a partnership in place during West Liberty's 10-year history.

"When they said they were coming out to Utah to build, we were just glad they asked us to join them," said Millard's president, Lance Larsen. "We're excited to get this under way and bring it to reality."

Several speakers described West Liberty officials in glowing terms. Weese said that upon his first meeting, he knew he was "dealing with some good people."

"The word that comes to mind is chemistry," said Jeff Edwards, EDCU's president and chief executive officer. "And I think you've seen an example today, especially from the remarks from these gentlemen, that this is the right kind of company, these are the kinds of folks that we want to have in our state."

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