Peco
 
WEST POINT, Miss. – Peco Foods Inc., a family owned poultry business with headquarters in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, announced an investment of $40 million toward the addition of a new cold storage facility in West Point, Mississippi. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant and other dignitaries were present during the announcement of the cold storage project.

The company will develop the facility in an existing 185,000-sq.-ft. warehouse formerly owned by Atlanta-based AmeriCold, a cold storage, refrigeration and logistics company. The building sits on 37 acres near interstate and major rail corridors, according to Peco Foods. The facility will include cooler, freezer and work space.

The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) will assist with wastewater and infrastructure improvements. Mississippi Works funds will provide for job training. The city of West Point is providing a water and sewer rate reduction to Peco Foods; and the City of West Point and Clay County are providing ad valorem abatements to the company.

 “We are extremely pleased to join the dynamic and growing industrial environment in the Golden Triangle. We want to thank the Mississippi Development Authority and everyone on the GTR LINK team for helping bring this exciting project to completion. They are one of the premier regional development leaders in the South, and it has been a privilege to work with them throughout the process,” Peco CEO Mark Hickman said. “Peco continues to make significant investments to ensure our ability to meet and surpass the expectations of the industry leaders we serve. The addition of this new cold storage facility is a key component of our growth strategy and is perfectly tailored to meet our current needs, as well as future plans.”

Tuscaloosa, Alabama-based Peco Foods operates six poultry complexes in Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas. The company is a leading poultry supplier to national restaurant chains, regional foodservice distributors and retail grocers in addition to international customers. The company employs more than 6,000 workers. The cold storage facility in West Point is expected to create 300 jobs.

“We’re happy to welcome Peco Foods to the Golden Triangle,” said Joe Max Higgins, Jr., CEO of the Golden Triangle Development LINK. “Working with the City of West Point and Clay County to provide local incentives was an efficient process and we’re proud to have them as partners in our effort to grow the Golden Triangle.”