Steve Stouffer, president of Tyson Fresh Meats; Nate Hodne, senior vice president, Portioned Protein Innovations; and officials from Eagle Mountain City and the state of Utah broke ground today on the site of the company’s new case ready beef and pork facility. The company also announced a donation of 144,000 meals to Community Action Services and Food Bank in Provo as part of its commitment to supporting the communities where it operates.

The $300 million project is expected to initially create more than 800 local jobs and expand to 1,200 positions within three years after opening. Annual local payroll is projected at $44 million.

The project will add an estimated $27 million in new state tax revenue over the next 10 years. It is anticipated the project will have more than a $1 billion economic impact in the first ten years due to construction of the facility, salaries, taxable sales, and other investments in the local economy.

"We congratulate Tyson on breaking ground in Eagle Mountain City," said Val Hale, executive director of the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development. "The future of the company in Utah is bright, and we're appreciative of the new jobs and corporate citizenship Tyson will bring to Utah Valley and the state."

The plant will be a case ready meat-cutting and packaging operation that converts fresh beef and pork, brought in from other locations, into steaks, chops, roasts and ground beef. The product is placed in trays, weighed and labeled, and then shipped to retailers for sale in grocery store meat cases.

“Eagle Mountain City is thrilled to welcome Tyson Fresh Meats to our community,” said Mayor Tom Westmoreland. “Tyson has proven to be a great partner already. We look forward to the completion of this facility and the job opportunities and economic benefit it will bring.”

Tyson Fresh Meats is the beef and pork unit of Tyson Foods Inc., one of the nation’s leading food companies. The business currently operates case ready plants in Iowa, Tennessee and Texas.

Online video of the Texas facility can be accessed here and additional information on the project can be found on the company’s website at www.tysonfoods.com/utah.

Tyson offers competitive starting wages for hourly employees with health care benefits, 401(k) optionsand the opportunity for advancement. Some skilled positions start at $20 per hour.

“We are excited to join the Eagle Mountain City community, and in addition to bringing jobs to the area we look forward to being both a supportive community and business partner,” said Stouffer. “Our purpose, raising the world’s expectations for how much good food can do, motivates us to be engaged and positively contribute in our communities. We’re ready to get involved and be a part of what makes Eagle Mountain City a great place to live.”

The case ready plant will be located in the Pole Canyon development at the southwest end of Eagle Mountain City and is expected to open as soon as 2021.

“After a great deal of planning and working in partnership with the developer, the state and local government, in particular Eagle Mountain City, it’s exciting to finally break ground on our new case ready plant,” said Hodne. “The addition of this facility allows us to expand Tyson’s ability to meet growing demand from our customers for portioned and convenient meat products their consumers are demanding.”

Source: Tyson Fresh Meats