040131 Hog Plant to Break GroundJanuary 25, 2004St. Joseph, MO - Triumph Foods may be a year away from starting production, but the hog- processing plant is ready to break ground for its new facility in the stockyards. A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Monday in a heated tent at the St. Joseph Stockyards Industrial Park. The agenda includes a brief overview of the Triumph Foods project from the chairman of its board, Bob Christensen. St. Joseph Mayor David Jones, Buchanan County Presiding Commissioner Tom Mann and Dick DeShon of the St. Joseph Regional Port Authority also will speak at the event. “It’s nice to celebrate,” Mr. Jones said. “I’m not going to say the work’s over, but we’ve reached the finish line and now a new race starts.” The groundbreaking will kick off work on the $130 million pork-processing facility. Triumph Foods, formerly called Premium Pork, plans to have the facility open and operating by spring 2005. It is expected to have an annual economic impact of $21 million in St. Joseph. The plant is expected to employ about 1,000 people within two years of opening. In an agreement with the city, Triumph Foods has pledged to pay workers a base wage of $10.50 an hour. The 60,000-square-foot facility is expected to process 500 pigs an hour. “The first step is to put the shovel in the ground and move the dirt,” Mr. Jones said. “We’re ready to get started.” Construction on the plant is expected to begin in the spring.
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