Newspaper Page Text
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
PERDUE
From page 1A
million in expanding Perry
operations by establishing a
cooking plant in an existing
building on site, and dou
bling its existing processing
operations there.
The majority of the com
pany’s new jobs in Georgia
will come at the Perry plant,
but an additional 75 jobs
will be created in a $9 mil
lion upgrade of Perdue
Farms’ feed mill and hatch
ery in Forsyth.
The company has already
created 700 new jobs since
buying the 500,000-square
foot plant from Atlanta
based Cagle’s Inc. in late
January 2004 for $45 mil
lion.
“When Perdue Farms
acquired the Perry facility a
year-and-a-half ago, we saw
the facility had the potential
to support our company’s
growth,” Perdue said. “More
than that, we saw a commu
nity in this area that recog
nized the value of the facili
ty, the jobs, and the contri
butions of agriculture.
“We saw an environment
in which state and local offi
cials work together here to
bring opportunities for its
citizens, and we knew that
the spirit of cooperation
extended from the local eco
nomic development office to
the office of the governor.”
Perdue said the company
plans to make the Perry
plant one of the most mod
ern and efficient food pro
duction facilities in the
nation. The facility will also
bring additional income to
hundreds of farm families
who raise qhickens in the
area.
The company plans to
build 500 new poultry hous
es to support increased pro
duction at the plant. Perdue
said the company plans to
convert an existing building
into a distribution center for
the Southeast region, slated
to open next year. The dis-
HOTEL
From page 1A
“Why add another hotel
and take away the prosperi
ty of locally owned business
es?”
Linda Stanley, general
manager of the New Perry
Hotel, said local hotels are
not filling the rooms they
currently have and the area
certainly does not need
another one.
Stanley has managed the
property since October 2004
and feels business would be
taken away from the New
Perry Hotel.
Froehlich said the GNFA
is trying to serve its cus
tomers and vendors who
have said they would like an
on-site hotel.
“We’re pursuing some
thing that will complement
our facility,” he said. “It’s
just a natural connection to
have a hotel near a confer
ence center. It’s good busi
ness sense.”
Earl Patton, with
Construction Management
Services, said he is interest
ed in what the agricenter
has in the Miller-Murphy-
Howard building.
He said in passing by the
property on Interstate 75,
he couldn’t understand why
a hotel wasn’t already on
site.
“We have ideas and pro
gramming in place, he told
authority members. “There
is potential here. The time is
right.”
He and CMS’ Rick Patton
discussed a 122-room facili
ty with a three-meal restau
rant and conference facili
ties with room for expan
sion, and a covered walkway
to connect to the Miller-
Murphy-Howard building.
Froehlich said the GNFA
is waiting on a ruling from
the state attorney general’s
office on how to lease state
owned land. He said the
authority is in the prelimi
nary stages of gathering
information, and if the
attorney general’s office
opinion is favorable they
will proceed with the proj
ect.
The Pattons assured
authority members the facil-
hjrtii tt SNktfHfl
■g H
IfHJ Mike George
Gov. Sonny Perdue, right, prepares for an interview as workers and guest leave the
Perdue Farms Food Plant in Perry Thursday morning. Perdue Farms Chairman Jim
Perdue announced that the company plans to make the Perry plant its main distribu
tion center for the southeast.
tribution center will add 100
new jobs in 2006 and anoth
er 75 in 2007.
“Two years ago, before we
bought the operation, we
felt it was an underutilized
slaughter plant with a work
force of about 1,000 folks,”
he said. “By 2009, in part
nership with the state of
Georgia, Perdue Farms will
grow this facility into a total
food processing operation
employing 2,700 individu
als.”
Perdue said he is excited
about the future of the com
pany and the role that Perry
will play in helping Perdue
Farms grow its business.
He said the Perry plant is
one of a handful of plants in
the United States that pro
duce tray-packed products.
The facility processes up to
350,000 birds per week for
Chick-fil-A restaurants, and
an additional 450,000 birds
per week for tray-pack prod
ucts sold at Wal-Mart and
Sam’s Club.
ity would be something that
complements the facilities
already on site.
Authority member Felton
Jenkins asked why the com
pany thought the city of
Perry would be a successful
location.
The Pattons said the facil
ity has a tremendous
amount of traffic, particu
larly on the weekend, which
they said is usually down
time for most hotels.
The said they also thought
of Perry because the MMH
building has the ability to
book events three to four
years in advance.
“Perry is central and
many people throughout the
state would like to meet
here - and more so if there
was on-site lodging,” Earl
Patton said.
In other business,
Froehlich discussed a list of
suggestions from Rick
—1« nxm \\\
1 * - * i* 1U
Building lives, families, and communities one iob at a time!
“You have my pledge that
Perdue Farms will continue
to be a good neighbor in the
community, a fair employer,
a trusted partner with fami
ly farmers - and you can
count on us to be active in
the community,” he said.
“We will be good stewards of
the environment.”
Gov. Sonny Perdue (who is
not related to the Perdue
Farms family) thanked the
Perry plant employees for
helping make the expansion
a reality. The governor also
presented Jim Perdue with a
gift - a music box from the
state. The chairman took
time to present the governor
with a gift as well - a toy
truck modeled after one of
the original trucks the com
pany used to ship their prod
ucts.
“I’m really proud that
Houston County, Georgia, is
really Perdue country now,
in more ways than one,”
Perdue said. “We’re proud to
have a great company with a
Reithoffer of Reithoffer
shows.
Of these, the board voted:
• To raise the one-price
admission to the Georgia
National Fair to sls from
sl4 last year, to increase
profit to Reithoffer Shows
and the Georgia National
Fairgrounds and Agricenter.
• Not to raise the price of
advance ticket books usually
sold at Kroger and other
stores for a reduced price.
• To allow Froehlich to
begin negotiating the addi
tion of a “Thrill Zone” ride
to the annual fair. Froehlich
said he is considering a ride
called SPEED. He said it is
125 feet tall and twirls a
total of eight riders 360
degrees at 60 miles per hour
on its two rotating arms.
“It’s a thrill for everyone,
the rider and the viewer,”
Froehlich said. “It’s some
thing to build excitement
LOCAL
great reputation like Perdue
Farms to be part of our
Georgia business family.”
Ned Sanders, chairman of
the Houston County Board
of Commissioners, said
Thursday’s announcement
marked an important day
for the community.
“With days like this, we’re
going to continue to
progress, we are going to
continue to move forward,
and you’re going to see
Houston County grow and
become an even more signif
icant part of Middle Georgia
than it has been in the
past,” Sanders said.
“We’re in a leadership role
and we’re going to continue
in that role with the help of
fine corporate sponsors like
Perdue Farms.”
Perdue Farms is a family
owned company with 14
processing plants in the
United States, producing 50
million pounds of chicken
and turkey products every
week.
and has been well received
at other fairs.”
If SPEED is approved for
the October fair, its tickets
will not be included with
regular admission and will
cost riders about $lO.
Also coming to the fair
grounds is a new 66-foot-tall
electronic Coca-Cola sign
that will promote events
year-round to Interstate 75
traffic.
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