AR: Peco Foods to Invest $13.8M, Add 300 Jobs, Expand 2 Plants

Peco Foods announced it will expand a feed mill in Newark and a processing plant in Batesville purchased in 2011. The expansions will add 300 combined jobs to the plants, bringing total employment in Independence County to 866. In addition, the company plans to invest a total of $13.8 million in the two facilities.

"Peco Foods' expansion into Arkansas was an excellent decision for us and we look forward to a long and successful partnership with the City of Batesville and the State," said Mark Hickman, president and chief executive officer of Peco Foods. "We appreciate the support and cooperation of Governor Beebe, Mayor Elumbaugh, Independence County Economic Development and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission for helping bring this project forward successfully. It is a privilege to be involved in helping the economy of Northeast Arkansas continue to grow."

Peco Foods is the eighth largest poultry processor in the U.S., processing more than 4.2 million birds and 22 million pounds of ready-to-cook poultry each week.

"The expansion of Peco Foods further illustrates Northeast Arkansas's growing influence in the food-processing sector," Governor Mike Beebe said. "Peco's success will draw even more interest in Batesville, both as a community and as the home of an effective workforce."

"Peco Foods is a most welcome addition to the outstanding firms operating here in Independence County," stated Independence County Judge Robert Griffin. "They have a long history of success and we feel they will merge well with our other successful ventures. Our workforce is well noted for the work ethics and dependability needed for a successful firm to attain greater heights."

Peco Foods, Inc. is a third-generation, family-owned business founded in the late 1930s by John Herman Hickman. Headquartered in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the company has grown considerably over the years. Today, Peco's holdings also include complexes in Alabama and Mississippi, each with a hatchery, feed mill, live production grow-out and processing plant. The company also has two further processing plants in Mississippi. Peco employs more than 4,900 people throughout its operations.