On April 3, 2022 Domino® Sugar Baltimore Refinery employees and retirees celebrated the plant’s centennial with members of the community, exactly 100 years after it began refining sugar.
“The reason we are able to commemorate this important milestone today comes down to our wonderful employees – and the generations who came before – whose hard work, dedication and love for what they do continues to inspire me each day,” Baltimore Refinery Manager Coricka White told guests. “I am honored to celebrate with you all and thank you for making us who we are today.”
When the Baltimore Refinery opened in 1922, its production was approximately 2 million pounds per day. Through decades of continuous improvement, our commitment to operational excellence and ongoing investments in training and technology, we have more than tripled our capability. The plant can refine upwards of 885,000 tons of raw sugar per year and produces 40 products on 24 packaging lines. We employ more than 500 people in Baltimore, including more than 40 who have been with the company for 30 years or more. The plant also supports an additional 125 jobs through trucking, terminal operations, cargo handling, ship piloting and local contractors.
“In addition to our employees here today, I want to give a special thanks to our retirees,” said Mark Folderauer, President of United Food & Commercial Workers Local 392, the union that represents a majority of the refinery’s employees. “Through your love, dedication and hard work, you’ve helped us reach our 100th anniversary, and I’m very proud to be a part of that.”
Over the generations, the Baltimore Refinery’s “Domino Sugars” sign has become an iconic landmark to locals, an inspiration to artists and a symbol that our refinery continues to thrive as it embarks on its second century or operations. Last year, the sign underwent a sustainable restoration from neon to state-of-the-art LED lighting that will save more than 33,000 kWh of electricity per year and reduce more than 23 metric tons of CO2.
“We are proud of our 100 years of manufacturing and providing good jobs to Marylanders, and our renovated sign is the symbol of our renewed commitment to the City for decades to come,” said Peter O’Malley, Vice President of Corporate Relations.
To commemorate our refinery’s centennial, we are working with locally-owned and operated Route One Apparel to produce a line of apparel and home goods featuring our iconic sign. We are donating royalties from the sales to Baltimore’s CollegeBound Foundation, a non-profit that works exclusively in Baltimore City public schools providing college advising and scholarships, which has transferred the lives of more than 67,000 students.
We began celebrating the Baltimore Refinery’s centennial in earnest in the fall of 2021 by distributing commemorative centennial sugar packets to local restaurants and coffee shops. We also installed pole banners and raised a flag near our entrance featuring our “100 Years in Baltimore” graphic to show our pride in being a part of our South Baltimore community for a century.
“After two years of restrictions due to the pandemic, I am grateful that we were able to celebrate our centennial together as a family,” said Coricka. “Our employees truly deserved it. The event was a great way to commemorate our legacy as we look ahead to the next 100 years."
