Aug.14 event will include launch of program honoring first responders

PITTSFIELD, NH – Rustic Crust is breaking ground Thursday, Aug. 14, on a new bakery and production facility on the site of the bakery leveled by fire earlier this year.

The 11 am groundbreaking event also will include the company’s launch of a national awards program honoring first responders.

The two-story 27,000 square-foot facility, 30 percent larger than the original structure, will be completed and operating later this fall, says CEO Brad Sterl. The project contractor is Mark Carrier Construction, Inc. (MCCI) of Manchester. Design firms include John Jordan Design of Canterbury and Hillside Design Group of Merrimack.

Rustic Crust, which produces Rustic Crust ready-made pizza crusts and frozen American Flatbread pizza, has temporary production facilities in a 65,000 square-foot facility on Main Street that houses the company’s offices and warehouse.

Sterl, who continued to pay employees as the company worked to resume operations, noted that the new facility will include state-of-the-art equipment, a second-floor storage area and other amenities. “This will be a bigger, better plant, and we’re excited to begin this newest chapter.”

The Aug. 14 event will include the presentation of the first Rustic Crust First Responders Recognition Award to the New Hampshire Police, Fire & EMS Foundation, a non-profit whose goal is to provide financial aid and assistance quickly, efficiently and effectively to first responders in need. That assistance may include medical or other equipment not covered by insurance, housing assistance needed due to home fires, non-covered expenses relating to critical illness or injury, legal fees for a child under 18 after the death of a parent, and assistance with funeral expenses.

“We are launching this national campaign to recognize the extraordinary work of first responders – EMS, fire and police personnel who are committed to keeping our communities safe and come to the rescue in times of need,” says Sterl. “As a result of our March fire, we know firsthand the courage and sacrifice displayed by these brave men and women every day.”

Rustic Crust (www.rusticcrust.com) was founded in 1996 and is the #1 U.S. national brand of natural prepared, ready-made pizza crusts. American Flatbread (www.americanflatbreadproducts.com) is a market leader in natural frozen flatbread pizzas and available in supermarkets, health, and gourmet stores nationwide.