The smell of dinner rolls wafting over Oakwood is about to grow stronger as King’s Hawaiian plans to expand its production facilities and hire 450 new employees over the next two years.

“They didn’t know they were going to expand this fast,” said Tim Evans, vice president of economic development at the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce.

The California-based bakery opened its local production line, off H.F. Reed Industrial Parkway, in 2010 after a multistate tour to determine where best to establish a base to meet growing customer demand.

Joe Leonardo, director of manufacturing for King’s Hawaiian, said the company’s interaction with the local community gave management a “high degree of confidence” that Hall County could handle its East Coast operations. And that confidence is now paying off in big ways.

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