TRIUMPH FOODS
BEGINS OPERATIONS
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (Jan. 3, 2006) ' On Tuesday, January 3rd, Triumph
Foods announced the opening of its new, state-of-the-art pork
processing facility in St. Joseph, Missouri.
'Despite an unfortunate accident that occurred at the construction
site on October 12th, this new facility has begun operations in
record time,' said Mark Campbell, Triumph Foods' Chief Operating
Officer.
The plant has started operations with more than 500 employees,
almost 85% of which are from St. Joseph. 'The response to our
employment ads has been excellent,' according to Campbell. 'A high
percentage of our employees, both hourly and the salaried and
clerical employees, are from the St. Joseph area.' Triumph Foods
will continue to hire additional employees as it ramps up the
operating volume. Within 18 months, Triumph expects to employ more
than 1,000 workers.
Costing more than $130 million and covering 630,000 square feet, the
facility is one of the largest and most impressive that has ever
been built. 'We are very pleased with the efficient layout and
design of the plant,' said Rick Hoffman, Triumph Foods' Chief
Executive Officer. A. Epstein and Sons International, Inc. of
Chicago, Ill., designed and engineered the facility, and also
managed the construction.
'The design of our plant and coordinated production system,
providing strict control over genetics, nutrition, environment and
animal handling practices, will contribute to the Company's
commitment to superb meat quality and consistency,' said Hoffman.
The products from the plant will be USDA Process Verified for meat
quality, animal handling and source verification. The new plant
contains a USDA Process Verified proprietary quick chill system for
improved meat quality attributes like color, texture and moisture
holding capacity. The animal handling facilities were evaluated and
approved by world renowned animal welfare expert, Dr. Temple Grandin.
In addition, the plant contains a source verification system
allowing for boxed products to be traced to source farms.
Triumph Foods is a pork processing company headquartered in St.
Joseph, Mo. The company has previously announced plans to expand
processing operations in East Moline, Ill.
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