Pilgrim's Pride to hire 1,400 jobs for Douglas plant
“The economic imprint of Pilgrim’s Pride is enormous, not only to the state’s poultry industry, but to the growers and suppliers in the region,” said Governor Perdue. “We are proud that Pilgrim’s Pride has recognized the value Georgia brings to poultry companies. There is no doubt the company will benefit from a workforce with deep experience in this industry.”
Company executives joined Governor Perdue and local and state officials in Douglas today to officially kick off the re-opening of the plant, which is expected to employ up to 1,400 workers and process approximately 1.3 million chickens per week when it ramps up to full production by summer 2011. Among those in attendance today were Wesley Batista, president and chief executive officer of JBS USA, majority owner of Pilgrim’s Pride; his brother Jose Batista Jr., a member of the board of directors of Pilgrim’s Pride; and Jose Batista Sobrinho, their father and the founder of JBS S.A., the world’s largest meat company and parent firm of JBS USA.