Construction began in August on a John Soules Foods plant that will process value-added poultry and beef products in Valley, Ala. Work on the new plant had been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Developing and assembling the facility is expected to take about 13 months, with plant operations planned to commence in the summer of 2021.
Batson-Cook Construction in West Point, Ga., was awarded the first contract for the Valley project.
Now that earth is being turned at the site, John Soules Foods also has announced that Adam White has been named the maintenance manager of the manufacturing facility. 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 the 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, Ala., operations for years to come."
The building of the John Soules Foods' plant 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 at the Valley plant.
When all portions of the project are complete, the facility will have the capability to produce over 200 million pounds of fully cooked beef and chicken products annually.
John Soules Foods' operations are based in Tyler, Texas. The company also has production facilities in Tyler, and in Gainesville, Ga.
Batson-Cook Construction, founded in 1915, builds a wide range of commercial projects for healthcare, multi-family, office, education and private development clients throughout the southeast.
"We are grateful for the opportunity to be working with John Soules Foods and appreciate their commitment to investing in our local economy," said Paul Meadows, Batson-Cook's senior vice president and general manager.
For more information, visit www.batson-cook.com.
