Simmons Foods is leasing new space in Fort Smith, Arkansas, enabling the company to create more than 100 jobs.
Simmons, a vertically integrated producer of poultry products, is headquartered in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, and has operated in the river valley since 1993. The new space will be leased from Zero Mountain, a cold and dry storage warehouse company.
“We’re committed members of this community. We really appreciate the support from the people in Fort Smith and Van Buren as we continue to grow and invest here,” said Brian Burke, director of operations of the new addition and the Simmons further processing facility on Main Street in Van Buren.
As a part of the expansion, Simmons is offering a broad range of opportunities with over 100 new positions in management, production, maintenance and quality assurance. New employees will receive paid, on-the-job training and a $300 bonus, to be paid out over their first 90 days of employment.
“With this many positions opening up, there is a lot of opportunity to advance,” said Melisa Arellano, talent acquisition manager at Simmons Foods. “I started out in an entry-level hourly position at one of our first processing facilities and have seen many opportunities open up for me. There is a lot of room to grow at Simmons.”
The company currently employs over 1,000 team members in Van Buren, Arkansas.
Simmons Foods recently announced an increase in hourly pay at a number of Simmons Foods production facilities to support employee recruiting and retention. The move raised starting pay for all production employees to at least $10 an hour.
