Peco Foods comes to West Point, bringing 300 jobs

WEST POINT, Miss. (PRESS RELEASE) – Peco Foods CEO Mark Hickman announced today that the company is locating in the existing 185,000-square-foot warehouse formerly occupied by AmeriCold.

The facility is located in West Point, Mississippi, on 37 acres strategically located near interstate and major rail corridors.

The location will provide freezer, cooler and working space to enable the company to serve its extensive customer base, which includes national restaurant chains.

The investment totals $40 million and will create 300 jobs in the area.

“The addition of the West Point facility to the Peco Foods’ portfolio and the creation of so many new jobs for the people of the Golden Triangle Region demonstrate how existing companies in our state benefit from our productive workforce and prime location in the fastest growing region of the U.S.,” Gov. Phil Bryant said.

“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,” said Peco CEO Mark Hickman. “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.”

The Mississippi Development Authority is providing assistance for wastewater and infrastructure improvements.

Mississippi Works funds are also being made available for workforce training.

The city of West Point is providing a water and sewer rate reduction to the company.

Both the City of West Point and Clay County are providing ad valorem abatements to the company.

“It’s exciting to welcome more jobs to the West Point area,” said Mayor Robbie Robinson. “This company is providing jobs in a sector we’re familiar with, in a more advanced environment, with a high rate of pay for our citizens. It’s a great opportunity.”

“Clay County is happy to have helped pave the way for the creation of jobs for our community,” said Lynn Horton, President of the Clay County Board of Supervisors. “We look forward to a long, profitable relationship with Peco Foods.”

Headquartered in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the company has more than 6,000 employees and six state-of-the-art poultry complexes in Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas which supply a broad range of products and services to national restaurant chains, regional food service distributors and retail grocers, as well as international accounts.

“We’re happy to welcome Peco Foods to the Golden Triangle,” said Joe Max Higgins, Jr., Chief Executive Officer 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.”