Tyson Foods has announced that it will invest $14m to expand its chicken processing facility in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
Tyson Foods spokesman Worth Sparkman revealed that the company is looking to make capital improvements to the cooked products plant, Wilkes Journal Patriot reported.
Sparkman also said that the company’s plans to go ahead with the expansion will partly depend on an approval of a community development block grant (CDBG) from the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
According to him, the project will create 75 jobs if the grant gets the approval.
Officials with the Town of Wilkesboro have announced plans to apply for a CDBG grant of $1.9m from the state commerce department.
The funds will support Tyson’s expansion through designing and construction a new 100-foot diameter clarifier at the Wilkesboro Wastewater Treatment Plant.
In accordance with the CDBG funding requirements, atleast 60% of the 75 employees will fall between the low to moderate income groups.
Apart from the Wilkesboro activity, Tyson Foods is also coming up with a 200,000ft2 chicken processing facility in Green Forest with an investment of $136m.
The Green Forest plant will create around 85 jobs and is slated to be completed for late 2017.
Based in Springdale, Arkansas, Tyson Foods is one of the leading producers of chicken, beef and pork.
The company founded in 1935, serves foodservice and retail customers in the US and 130 other countries.
It has over 400 facilities around the world, with a workforce of more than 113,000.
