Look inside your pantry and it’s likely you’ll find bottles of olive, vegetable or other specialty oils made by one of the Bay State’s leading manufacturers, Catania Oils. The fourth-generation, family-owned business was founded over 100 years ago by Giuseppe Basile, an Italian immigrant who brought his olive oil business from Sicily to the United States. Catania Oils products are used in the Company’s own branded products, private label products for Market Basket, Whole Foods, Stop & Shop, and others, and bulk ingredients for Ken’s Foods, Frito-Lay, Bake’n Joy, and more.
When Catania Oils needed to expand its manufacturing footprint, create more jobs, invest an estimated $14 million, and offset anticipated project costs, they turned to one of the state’s leading government tax incentives consulting firms: Business Development Strategies, Inc. (BDS) led by Lynn Tokarczyk.
As one of the only Massachusetts firms exclusively dedicated to government tax incentives consulting and with a history of helping more than 100 businesses in Massachusetts save over $200 million in state and local taxes, BDS has a record that is hard to beat. Even during a global pandemic and rising construction costs, Tokarczyk and the BDS team have successfully assisted Massachusetts businesses with staying competitive by helping to negotiate and secure Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and other tax incentives for their real estate expansion projects.
Whether speaking in-person or on Zoom the BDS team made sure all parties from local economic development leaders, including the Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce, to area residents and businesses were familiar with the Catania Oils project and the Company’s deep community connections. During more than 25 years in Ayer, Catania Oils has been committed to supporting educational initiatives and numerous non-profit organizations and has had a positive impact on the local, regional, and state economy.
“BDS’s unparalleled expertise of the complex government tax incentives process proved essential to the success of the Catania Oils TIF savings,” said Company President Joseph Basile. “We are so pleased that government officials and local residents appreciate our Company and the benefits this project would bring to the community,” he stated.
Combined with BDS’s guidance, Catania Oils’ stellar reputation in the Ayer community helped propel the Company’s TIF Proposal to a unanimous vote of approval by Town Meeting in April.
“We are pleased that Catania Oils has decided to continue building its future in Ayer,” said Town Manager Robert Pontbriand. “For more than a quarter of a century our community has benefitted from a positive relationship with this manufacturing leader. We look forward to continuing a mutually-beneficial partnership with Catania Oils for many years to come.”