urbanSTL

Unilever announced Tuesday that it will invest $80 million in the expansion of its Jefferson City facility and the production of Liquid I.V.
Liquid I.V. is a hydration brand that Unilever acquired back in October 2020. 
“We’re thrilled to see a world-class manufacturer like Unilever continuing to invest right here in Jefferson City,” Gov. Mike Parson. “This company has maintained operations in our capital city for decades as a leading local employer and prominent community partner. We look forward to Unilever’s success as it continues to benefit from our state’s many economic advantages." The new Liquid I.V. operations would include automated packaging lines, a blending room operation and infrastructure changes.
“Unilever has been part of the Jefferson City community for decades, making products for brands like Dove, Vaseline, Axe, SheaMoisture, Nexxus and TRESemmé,” Michael Whelan, head of Unilever’s Jefferson City factory said in a press release. “We’re so happy to be adding the Liquid I.V. brand to that list as we continue investing in the Jefferson City facility.”
Luke Holtschneider, president of the Jefferson City Regional Economic Partnership (JCREP), said this investment will create a temporary increase in jobs, but there's more of a long-term effect when it comes to the economy. 
"There's local businesses that have, you know, teams that show up every day at Unilever providing services, so their impact is well beyond the bounds of just their facility. It's throughout the community," Holtschneider said.

A plan to transform what was once called the “bloodiest 47 acres in America” into a tourist attraction has been shelved under the latest budget proposal facing Missouri lawmakers.
Amid blowback from reluctant lawmakers, House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith nixed a $52.3 million earmark requested by Gov. Mike Parson’s administration to redevelop the abandoned Missouri State Penitentiary, which sits largely in decay about eight blocks from the state Capitol.
Smith, R-Carthage, said Monday the negative reaction from members of the budget committee contributed to the plan’s demise. During a hearing on the proposal, lawmakers called the idea “gruesome” because of the violence and death associated with the facility.
“I think it was beyond the level of comfort we had on the committee to preserve the history around the prison,” Smith said. “It’s a tricky thing to address. On one hand, it’s part of our history. On the other, we want to be respectful to everyone. The prison was built in 1834 on 142 acres along the Missouri River. It was the first prison west of the Mississippi River and stayed in operation until 2004.
In 1967, Time magazine named the prison the “bloodiest 47 acres in America” because of serious assaults on prisoners between 1963 and 1964.
The prison and its residents helped turn Jefferson City into a major manufacturing center. Companies that made clothing and shoes set up shop within the prison walls to take advantage of cheap inmate labor.


It also held its share of infamous inmates, including bank robber Charles Arthur “Pretty Boy” Floyd, boxer Charles “Sonny” Liston and James Earl Ray, who assassinated the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.