Jozev Products breaks ground in E.L.

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor

EAST LONGMEADOW A company currently based in Agawam has broken ground on a new $1.5 million facility in the Deer Park Industrial Center.

The owners of Jozev Products, Inc. gathered with State Senator Brian Lees and Allan Blair, president and CEO of Westmass Area Development Corporation on April 29 to mark the beginning of construction for a one-story 18,000 square-foot building located on a four-and-a-half acre site.

The building, which is being constructed by Associated Builders, Inc., is planned to be completed in the fall of this year.

Jozev Products is a wholesaler distributor of brand name and private label foods, fish, health and beauty items, and tobacco to commissaries in federal prisons. The commissaries are where prisoners can buy products with their own money.

Marcia Raker, president of the company, told the group at the groundbreaking that the business started in 1992 in her bedroom. Its success meant that it soon overtook the rest of her home.

Maggie Raker, CEO of the company, told Reminder Publications that the new facility will retain its current staff of nine employees and there is the chance for future job expansion.

She said that although the company has grown quickly, their "moves have been conservative and moderate." She said that their success indicates the company is "going in the right direction."

There is now more competition among distributors to place products in these commissaries, Maggie Raker added. Part of the rise in interest is the increase of incarcerations for white-collar crime, which has resulted in more demand for commissary items.

In a press release Marcia Raker explained, "Our ability to identify and address unique marketing opportunities within the prison community was critical to our rapid growth and reputation as the 'smart source' for commissaries anxious to keep their sales brisk and their customers satisfied. We have new products coming onboard daily, with many in the pipeline. We have recently added a generic over-the-counter pharmarcy line that is extremely low-priced. Our customers are finding these items a vital and welcome addition to their stores."

For more information on the company, log onto www.jozev.com.