Hershey Trust on Notice: $1.1 million lien filed by woman-owned construction firm stiffed by Cocoa Packs

Update: Hershey Trust will hand over all operational and developmental oversight of West End, and all future development projects, to the Milton Hershey School.

A fifth time extension is being sought from Derry Township at the May 27 board of supervisors meeting by developers of the West End project.

Hummelstown, Pennsylvania — Camp Hill based general contracting firm JEM Group, LLC has filed a mechanic’s lien against non-profit food bank Cocoa Packs, Inc. for non-payment, and has also filed a “Notice of Claim” against Hershey Trust Company.

According to court documents, JEM Group has received no payments from Cocoa Packs towards $1.1 million currently owed for work completed on its new facility in Derry Township. As first reported by The Sun, JEM Group filed the claim against Cocoa Packs in Dauphin County court on April 24. 

Cocoa Packs’ new facility is being built on land owned by Hershey Trust Company to become a future retirement community in the new West End development. Hershey Trust Company has an agreement to lease a portion of the property to Cocoa Packs.

Future ownership of the incomplete building will depend on Cocoa Packs ability to pay, and the matter is now pending review in Dauphin County court.

Christine Drexler, the President of Cocoa Packs, recently told abc27, “$5.3 million is the total cost of the project,” she said. “We’re about halfway there, but we need to get a home run to get us the rest of the way.”

However, no payments have been made to JEM Group. According to the non-profit’s latest IRS “Form 990” return, Cocoa Packs, Inc. had assets valued at $874,801 at the end of 2022, and Drexler received a salary of $45,000.

In 2003, Jessica Meyers founded JEM Group, a commercial construction firm. As one of few women in the industry, she has grown JEM Group into a widely respected construction firm in Pennsylvania. In a 2022 interview, she told Central Penn Business Journal that JEM Group is very proud to be distinguished as a Women Business Enterprise in the community.

Meyers is accomplished and well respected. She was co-chair of Top Taste with the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, and has been appointed to the board of directors of Centric Bank. She also serves on the boards of The Salvation Army Harrisburg Capital City Region, YWCA of Greater Harrisburg, as board chair of AAA Central PA, and is a former trustee for Harrisburg University.

JEM Group recently celebrated their 20th anniversary. The firm has experienced rapid growth including $50 million in projects serving the multi-unit housing market, as described in an article written by JEM Group Vice President Andrew Notarfrancesco.

Lindsay Drew, former marketing director of Cocoa Packs, accepted a donation from Giant Foods in her capacity as President of the Derry Township School Board of Directors.