Gerber plant in Fort Smith gets $90M expansion, 50 more jobs

Summary box: $90M, 50 jobs for Gerber Fort Smith

GETTING BIGGER: The 900,000-square-foot Nestle Nutrition Gerber baby food plant in Fort Smith already employs 650 people. The plant will add 50 jobs when it adds a cereal line over the next year.

BIG SPENDING: The renovation and expansion will cost $90 million.

BIG BUSINESS: Fort Smith has seen its share of manufacturing layoffs, but the job outlook appears stable and may get a big boost if Mitsubishi can get clear of a court challenge and build a planned wind turbine factory.