George’s Inc. has completed its acquisition of Ozark Mountain Poultry (OMP), the company announced on October 30.
Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, George’s announced its intent to acquire OMP, headquartered in Rogers, Arkansas,.in September.
Both George’s and OMP are fully integrated poultry companies with facilities across four states, supplying the retail, foodservice and industrial market sectors.
“It’s an exciting time at George’s as we integrate two established Arkansas family-owned and operated companies into one best-in-class operation,” Charles George, co-CEO of George’s, said in a press release. “The combined strengths of both organizations will help drive our growth and innovation for generations to come. OMP offers a wealth of operational talent, trusted brands and they are a tremendous addition to our family and company.
George’s was founded in the 1920s and is now being led by the fourth generation of the family. OMP was founded by Dr. Ed Fryar in 2001. As a combined entity, George’s will own and operate eight production locations in Arkansas, Missouri, Virginia and Tennessee, and will employ more than 7,000 people.
“With our combined assets, we look forward to being able to offer consumers additional choices with affordable antibiotic-free and non-GMO poultry products,” said Co-CEO Carl George.
George’s, according to WATT PoultryUSA’s Top Broiler Companies rankings, was the 11th largest broiler company in the United States at the conclusion of 2017, having produced 22.5 million pounds of ready-to-cook chicken on a weekly basis. OMP was the nation’s 21stlargest broiler producer, having processed 6.3 million pounds of ready-to-cook chicken on a weekly basis in 2017.
Based on 2017 figures alone, George’s, with the OMP acquisition, would surpass House of Raeford Farms in the rankings. House of Raeford is presently ranked ninth. The tenth ranked company, Keystone Foods, is being acquired by the leading broiler company, Tyson Foods, with that transaction expected to close soon.
Kirkland & Ellis served as a legal advisor for the George’s-OMP transaction, while BofA Merrill Lynch served as financial advisor to George’s.
