DUNKIRK, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 27, 2026--
Wells Enterprises, a leading U.S. ice cream manufacturer and part of the Ferrero Group, celebrated a major milestone in its Dunkirk facility transformation with a ribbon cutting for its new, best-in-class employee center and production expansion. The event highlighted the company’s continued investment in its people, products and the local community bringing together New York State leadership, County and Community leaders, company leaders and employees to recognize the achievement.
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Specifically, the milestone marked the completion of the first two phases of the $425 million facility’s state-of-the-art transformation. Headlining the event was the company’s meaningful investments in employee experiences, highlighting the highly anticipated employee amenities in a brand-new, three-story center. The new building, replacing an over 75-year-old structure, now includes updated breakrooms, cafeteria space, training rooms, offices and additional resources designed to support the team members who power Wells’ operations.
“This celebration reflects the people, partnerships and shared commitment shaping the future of Wells Enterprises in Dunkirk,” said Nicolas Neykov, Chief Operating Officer at Wells Enterprises. “As we mark this next chapter of growth, we recognize our teams who are the heart of Wells. This transformation is more than an investment in equipment but reflects our commitment to supporting our skilled team with the resources needed to make the best ice cream and bring more joy to our consumers.”
In addition to the new employee center, the event also celebrated the start-up of new production lines and capabilities that began late last year, including a first-of-a-kind Segregated Compound Facility. Combining Wells’ ice cream manufacturing heritage with Ferrero’s global confectionary leadership, the one-of-a-kind chocolate manufacturing facility is the only Ferrero facility of its kind in the U.S. and creates new capabilities for long-term category growth and future innovation. The plant also uses new proprietary technology and highly customized capabilities to meet rigorous standards and keep quality at the forefront of every cone, cup, pint and more.
“This milestone for Wells Enterprises reflects tremendous progress as one of the largest private investments in Chautauqua County as the company transforms its Dunkirk facility into a high-tech, world-class manufacturing operation while retaining and creating strong careers for local residents for generations to come,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
Brad Galles, Chief Manufacturing and Engineering Officer at Wells Enterprises, added, “We are grateful for the continued support of the State of New York, Empire State Development, Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency and the City of Dunkirk as we build on our strong foundation in the region. We look forward to continuing this journey in building this state-of-the-art operation that is vital to our manufacturing network on the East Coast.”
Wells Enterprises purchased the Dunkirk facility in 2019 and broke ground in 2024 on the multi-year, multi-phase transformation. This milestone marks the completion of Phases 1 and 2, including new infrastructure to support initial production lines, freezer capacity, the chocolate facility and the new employee center. Phase 3, which is currently underway, will add more production lines, while Phase 4 will expand processing capabilities, including raw materials. The full transformation is expected to be completed in 2028 and is expected to add 270 permanent jobs over the course of the next several years, while retaining existing roles. Once finished, the 350,000-square-foot facility will be capable of operating 11 to 15 production lines and producing an estimated 20 million cases annually, up from 4 million cases previously.
To learn more about Wells Enterprises, visit: wellsenterprisesinc.com.
About Wells Enterprises, Inc.
Wells Enterprises, Inc. is the largest privately held ice cream manufacturer in the United States. Founded in 1913 and headquartered in Le Mars, Iowa — recognized as the Ice Cream Capital of the World — the company produces more than 200 million gallons of ice cream per year and distributes products across all 50 states. Wells is a part of the Ferrero Group, manufacturing its signature brands Blue Bunny ®, Halo Top ®, Bomb Pop ®, and Blue Ribbon Classics ®, along with several leading brands owned by Ferrero.
A welcoming space in Wells Enterprises’ brand new Dunkirk employee center which also includes cafeteria space, training rooms, offices and additional resources.
A look across the Well Enterprises $425 million state-of-the-art manufacturing facility transformation in Dunkirk, NY.
Wells Enterprises celebrates its Dunkirk facility transformation designed to support future growth and bring more joy to consumers.
PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — Lindsay Clancy was in a deep psychosis when she strangled her three children in their Massachusetts home, her lawyer said Thursday, telling jurors that she had been a loving mother before her mental health spiraled.
“Because of the damned medicine and the lousy medical care that she got,” attorney Kevin Reddington said during closing arguments of Clancy’s murder trial, referencing the various mental health providers she saw and different drugs prescribed in the months before the January 2023 killings.
Prosecutors contend that Clancy acted intentionally and sent her husband out on an errand before killing her young children and attempting suicide, rejecting her lawyer’s claims that Clancy was in the throes of postpartum psychosis, a rare mental illness linked to stress, sleep deprivation and hormonal changes following childbirth.
Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague told jurors in her closing argument that the case isn’t about the nation's mental healthcare system or how it treats women. “That’s a distraction to get you angry and passionate about an important issue, but an issue that’s not on trial here,” she said.
Clancy’s mental state is at the center of the closely watched trial that has drawn attention to maternal mental health after childbirth. The debate has stirred deep divisions among the public over whether she should be held criminally responsible.
Clancy, who has pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility, did not testify during the trial, now in its fifth week.
Jurors will begin deliberations following closing arguments. If convicted of murder, Clancy faces life in prison without parole. If found not guilty due to a lack of criminal responsibility, she still could be committed to a state mental health facility.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.
During more than four weeks of testimony, jurors heard opposing views from medical experts about Clancy’s mental state after the birth of her third child and her culpability.
Both Clancy’s mother and sister testified that she became anxious, paranoid and suicidal.
Clancy, now 36, had sought treatment from multiple providers and checked herself in to a psychiatric hospital in the months before killing Cora, Dawson and Callan Clancy, ages 5, 3 and 8 months.
During closing arguments, the prosecution said the focus should be on whether Lindsay Clancy knew the difference between right and wrong at the time.
Sprague acknowledged that Clancy sought help for her mental health struggles, but argued that she did not always take medications as prescribed or give her providers complete and accurate information.
“This doesn’t mean that she wasn’t struggling, that she wasn’t dealing with these mental health issues,” Sprague said.
Reddington said the prosecution tried to paint Clancy’s attempt to take her life after killing her children as “a fake suicide.”
“You know that is not what happened,” he said.
Prosecutors say Clancy understood her actions were wrong.
Reddington held up a copy of the book “Good Moms have Scary Thoughts” that investigators found at the Clancy house. He said prosecutors tried to use it as evidence against Clancy but that it was a mental healthcare provider who gave it to her.
“This woman lived for her kids,” he said.
He showed jurors a small “wish box” that Clancy and then-husband Patrick bought on their honeymoon. Over the years, the couple filled the box with slips of paper wishing to have healthy, successful kids, Reddington said as Lindsay Clancy wiped away tears.
Reddington told the jury that after Clancy started seeing a psychiatrist that “it was not a wonderful life anymore.”
“You heard the testimony. You know her concerns. You know her fears,” he said.
All three children were strangled with exercise bands in the family’s basement before Clancy jumped from a second-floor window while her husband went to pick up takeout and medication on Jan. 24, 2023.
A forensic psychologist who testified for the prosecution said he concluded that Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, killed the children because she wanted to kill herself but didn’t want to leave them behind.
A psychologist who took the stand for the defense said Clancy didn’t recognize the “wrongfulness” of killing her children because of her mental health issues.
Willingham reported from Boston.
Michael Musgrove, the father of Lindsay Clancy listens to testimony in his daughters murder trial in Plymouth Superior Court, on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026 in Plymouth, Mass. (Greg Derr /The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington questions Dr. Gregory Saathoff about drugs found in a nightstand in the Clancy home during the Lindsay Clancy murder trial at Plymouth Superior Court in Plymouth, Mass. on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague rests her case as defense attorney Kevin Reddington gets in one last question to rebuttal witness Dr. Gregory Saathoff during the Lindsay Clancy murder trial at Plymouth Superior Court in Plymouth, Mass. on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Judge William Sullivan tells the jury they will have the case to decide a verdict as soon as Thursday afternoon during the Lindsay Clancy murder trial at Plymouth Superior Court in Plymouth, Mass. on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
CORRECTS SPELLING TO LINDSAY - Lindsay Clancy listens to the testimony of Dr. Gregory Saathoff during her murder trial in Plymouth Superior Court, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026 in Plymouth, Mass. (Greg Derr /The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
