Peco Foods announced on Wednesday that it will invest $13.8 million to expand a feed mill in Newark, Arkansas and a processing plant in Batesville, Arkansas purchased in 2011. The company, based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, announced the expansion Wednesday alongside local leaders and Governor Mike Beebe.
“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 CEO of Peco Foods in a news release issued by the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. “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.”
The expansion, the company said, will add 300 combined jobs to the plants in eastern Arkansas and bring its total employment in Independence County to 866. Peco Foods processes more than 4.2 million birds and 22 million pounds of ready-to-cook poultry each week and employs more than 4,900 people.