Pilgrim’s, one of the country’s leading poultry companies employing more than 58,000 team members and partnering with nearly 5,000 American family farmers, has worked diligently for the last two years to identify a location for a new, state-of-the-art animal feed ingredient plant.
After a thorough review of multiple sites across Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia, Pilgrim’s identified Gadsden, Alabama, as the ideal location for the future home of a $70 million facility that will create 90 full-time positions, 150 construction jobs and increased wages for local community members.
The poultry industry is an integral part of the American economy. In Alabama, the poultry industry represents more than $15 billion in annual revenue and provides more than 17,000 Alabamians and more than 2,700 family farmers with employment opportunities across the state. Gadsden was selected due to its people, location, utility infrastructure and favorable business climate.
We have worked in partnership with the city of Gadsden and Etowah County to address all potential concerns that might be raised by local residents. We recognize that some in the community may have concerns regarding rendering facilities, including air and water quality, local property values and the impact on local business revenues. To address these potential concerns head-on, we invited local leaders to visit new rendering facilities across the country that deploy similar technologies to what we envision for the Gadsden facility. These local Gadsden leaders asked all the tough questions regarding odor, traffic, utilities and even potential impacts on local school systems.
What became clear through these visits is that today’s technology provides an opportunity for Gadsden to be the home of a new, environmentally friendly facility that will support the thriving Alabama poultry industry, while creating economic opportunity during a challenging business climate.
We look forward to being a part of the future of Etowah County and we hope the community will give us a chance to be a positive contributor to Gadsden and the men and women of the Alabama poultry industry.
Mark Glover
Head of Protein Conversion
Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation
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