Construction has begun on a John Soules Foods plant that will process value-added poultry and beef products in Valley, Alabama.
Construction of the new plant had been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the work commencing, John Soules Foods has also announced that Adam White has been named the maintenance manager for this location. Since his hire, White has been working closely with the City of Valley and the Chambers County Development Authority (CCDA) to coordinate the logistics of construction.
“We are pleased to have Adam join the team,” said Tom Ellis, chief operating officer of John Soules Foods. “Adam brings valuable experience and proven ability to lead our Valley, Alabama, operations for years to come.”
Project to be done in three phases
John Soules Foods’ operation in Valley will be broken into three phases. Phase one includes 210 full-time jobs and $90 million in capital investment. This investment will be for renovations at the current facility, construction of additional buildings on-site, wastewater treatment and placement of two cook lines.
The planned second phase is projected to be a $39 million investment adding two new cook lines and an additional 200 new full-time employees.
The third and final phase will result in 100 new employees, $22 million dollars in capital investment and the addition of one final cook line, making a total of five cook lines.
When all phases are complete, this facility will have the capability to produce over 200 million pounds of fully cooked beef and chicken products annually.
Construction is expected to take about 13 months with operations planned to commence in the summer of 2021. Batson-Cook Construction was awarded the first contract for the Valley project.
John Soules Foods’ operations are based in Tyler, Texas. The company also has production facilities in Tyler, and in Gainesville, Georgia.
