Veteran poultry executive Henry Welch will retire July 1 from Peco Foods after 27 years of service. Welch, who joined the company in 1989, is live production manager for Peco’s Gordo/Tuscaloosa complex.
In announcing Welch’s retirement, Peco CEO Mark Hickman said, “Henry Welch has been an extremely valuable member of our management team during a time of tremendous growth for our company. His contributions have been a key component of our success.”
Hickman said Mike Glass, current Broiler Manager at Peco since 2008, will assume the Live Operations Manager position upon Henry’s retirement and he anticipates a smooth and seamless transition.
Peco supplies a broad range of products and services to national restaurant chains, regional food service distributors and retail grocers as well as international accounts. Headquartered in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the company has more than 6,000 employees in Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas.
A native of Magee, Mississippi and a 1972 graduate of Mississippi State University, Henry Welch previously worked for Marshall Durbin Farms, Perdue Farms and other industry leaders before coming on board with Peco at their Bay Springs, Mississippi, complex. He took over responsibility for live production at the Gordo/Tuscaloosa complex in 2005.
Henry Welch has held numerous leadership roles in the poultry industry. He is a long-time director and past chairman of the board of the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association and the Mississippi Poultry Association. He received the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine’s Pegasus Award in 1997, the MSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Alumni Achievement Award in 2008, and the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association Lamplighter Award for service to the industry in 2013. In 2016, he was inducted into the Mississippi Poultry Hall of Fame.
Welch and his wife Lynn have two daughters and two grandchildren.
