$110 million Tyson expansion to double Vienna plant size

Tyson Foods Inc. plans to add 500 new jobs and double the size of its Dooly County poultry plant in a $110 million expansion.

Work on the expansion began about two weeks ago and is expected to be completed in mid-summer, according to a Tuesday news release.

The company plans to install new production lines, technology and equipment at the plant at 1151 E. Pine St. in the Vienna Industrial Park North.

“The upgrade will bring in state-of-the-art equipment, which will provide better jobs for trained employees -- thus better job opportunities,” Dooly County Economic Development Council Director Bob Jeter said in an email. The investment and new jobs “will improve growth for Dooly County and the surrounding area. (It’s) just what is needed in rural Georgia.”

The expansion would add 100,000 square feet to the processing facility that currently employs about 700 workers.

“These 500 additional jobs will come from Dooly County and surrounding counties of Macon, Sumter, Wilcox, Houston and Crisp,” Jeter said.

Anyone interested in applying for a job should go to www.tysonfoodscareers.com.

“The majority of jobs are in production, but we have some supervisor and some maintenance positions,” said Worth Sparkman, manager of public relations for Tyson.

“Tyson Foods’ decision to expand in Georgia underscores how our No. 1 business climate and highly skilled workforce keeps leading companies competitive in today’s fast-paced market,” Gov. Nathan Deal said in the release. “Tyson Foods is one of our state’s largest employers in food processing, and I’m confident that it will continue to benefit from our top talent and robust industry network in order to deliver high-quality jobs to Georgia’s citizens.”

The plant currently produces mostly chicken for restaurants and other food service customers, Sparkman said. With the expansion, it would convert mostly to producing fresh tray-packed chicken for regional retail customers, such as grocery stores.

The company is making the change “to meet customer demand” for distribution generally in the Southeast, he said.

Georgia exports more poultry than any other state, and processing operations employ nearly 30,000 people in the state, according to the release.

Tyson Foods purchased the Vienna plant in 1995 and currently has an annual payroll of more than $15.6 million, a company news release stated.

The company paid family farmers more than $30 million to raise and supply chickens in the 2014 fiscal year, the release stated.

To contact writer Liz Fabian, call 744-4303. To contact writer Linda S. Morris, call 744-4223.

This story was originally published January 27, 2015 at 8:11 AM with the headline "$110 million Tyson expansion to double Vienna plant size."