January 13, 2014

Sanderson Farms poultry complex in Palestine on track for 2015 opening

Sanderson Farms Inc. is on tract and on schedule for its US$124 million complex opening by 2015 to bring a sprawling new poultry complex to Palestine.

Bob "Pic" Billingsley, director of development and engineering, said progress is on track and on schedule for the complex, which consists of a feed mill, hatchery, poultry processing plant and wastewater facility. The main plant and hatchery is being constructed in Anderson County and the feed mill will set up operations in nearby Freestone County.

The company first notified the City of Palestine in February 2013 of its intent to build facilities in the region, with an operations' start date planned for January 2015.

The US$17 million, 65,000 square foot hatchery facility is under construction in Willow Creek Business Park off S. Loop 256 in Palestine, as well as the US$75 million processing facility off US Highway 79 South.

As for the feed mill in Freestone County, Billingsley said they're in the process of awarding bids to a general contractor, who will then commence construction.

Recently, the company has been in touch with community members through local job fairs to round up employees to staff the new facilities. The plant is expected to bring more than 1,000 full-time jobs to the area, adding an annual payroll of more than US$21 million to Anderson County.

Billingsley said the local labour pool was one of the main factors Sanderson Farms considered when deciding where to build the new poultry processing complex. He said they'd already "hired a good number of people" for salaried management positions. Next up, the company will seek workers for hourly staff positions.

Currently, the new hires are being transported to a Sanderson Farms facility in Waco, Texas for training. As for next steps, Billingsley said the company is focused on continuing with construction and hiring.