FRANKFORT Ky. (June 30, 2015) – Governor Steve Beshear today announced that Tyson Chicken Inc., a subsidiary of Tyson Foods Inc., will be increasing capacity at its Henderson County plant to meet growing demand.
The project will upgrade equipment and add processing capacity for Tyson's frozen chicken products. Tyson will create 91 additional jobs and invest $8.2 million into the project.
"For the last 20 years, Tyson Chicken has been a vital company in Henderson County," said Gov. Beshear. "We appreciate Tyson's ongoing commitment to this community, and we applaud its growth, which is another great example of the economic momentum we are experiencing across Kentucky."
The Robards facility plans to replace one of its freezers and increase processing capacity. To accommodate this, the company plans to add additional freezer space and processing stations.
"This investment will help us meet growing demand for our products," said Noel White, president of poultry for Tyson Foods. "We're grateful to KEDFA and everything it has done to make this project possible. We're very proud of our team members in Robards and are pleased to bring additional jobs to the community. We appreciate doing business in Kentucky and are glad we can invest in our Robards plant."
Tyson Chicken has been a part of the Robards community since 1995 and currently employs 1,200 Kentuckians.
"The expansion of the Tyson Foods Inc. Robards facility is good news for our workforce and our economy," said Sen. Dorsey Ridley, of Henderson. "I look forward to the company's success in our region well into the future."
"Poultry was a $1.2 billion dollar industry in the Commonwealth last year, according to the Kentucky Poultry Association, making it the top agricultural commodity in our state," said Rep. Suzanne Miles, of Owensboro. "It is encouraging to see such an important industry thrive in Kentucky's agriculture economy, which in turn helps related industries grow as well. Today's announcement will not only benefit Tyson and its employees but also other companies and farmers who support the Henderson County plant's production."
"I am very pleased that Tyson has chosen to expand at its location here in the region," said Webster County Judge-Executive Jim Townsend. "As a result, it will allow us to have more people from our area going to work. The addition of new jobs is always welcomed and exciting news."
"It is great news to see existing companies continue to invest more," said Henderson County Magistrate Butch Puttman. "Tyson Foods is making a large investment in its Henderson County facility, which will create 91 new jobs. Henderson County is pleased it could help with the incentives to make this happen."
To encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $750,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the term of the agreement through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.
KEDFA also approved Tyson Chicken for tax benefits up to $100,000 through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act, which allows approved companies to recoup Kentucky sales and use tax on construction costs, building fixtures, equipment used in research and development and electronic processing equipment.
In addition, Tyson Chicken is eligible to receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network. Through the Kentucky Skills Network, companies are eligible to receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives. Last year, the Kentucky Skills Network trained more than 84,000 employees from more than 4,100 Kentucky companies.
For more information on Tyson, visit tysonfoods.com