Gloucester County recently launched a new promotion in an attempt to lure a major company to locate here.

Sherry Spring, director of economic development, said April 15 that economic development officials began planning for this marketing effort in February. They are targeting about 40 of the top U.S. food manufacturing companies.

Spring said that Gloucester mailed promotional packages directly to chief executive officers of these companies in March, after having researched the field online and through industry publications. Follow-up postcards were sent recently, she said, and Spring plans to call the CEOs personally before the end of this month.

A big boost to the promotion, Spring said, was the donation by Whitley’s Peanuts at Hayes of three-ounce bags of peanuts as a teaser for the corporate officials to “get a taste of Gloucester.” She said the promotion was geared around the “nuts about Gloucester” theme, noting the county has a well-trained workf...