Tyson Foods will invest $48 million as part of its commitment to accelerate long-term growth of its poultry plant in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The company plans to create nearly 70 jobs by late 2021.

According to company officials, the project will increase capacity to the plant’s fully cooked processing lines that in part produces chicken tenders, chicken strips, boneless and bone-in wings and air-fried products. The investment will also add automated processes to product packing lines.

“The demand for convenient, high-quality chicken products continues to grow and we’re investing in projects that meet the needs of our customers and consumers,” said Donnie King, COO and Group President, Poultry for Tyson Foods. “We’d like to thank the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the Economic Development Alliance for Jefferson County for their assistance and support of this project.”

The Pine Bluff plant and related operations were built by Tyson Foods and opened in 1991, company officials noted. It makes fully cooked chicken products for food service and retail customers, such as grocery stores and quick serve restaurants. The facility employs more than 1,100 people and paid nearly $47 million in wages during its 2020 fiscal year. Annual payout for farmers who raise chickens for the plant was more than $27 million. The company recently raised starting hourly wages at the facility to at least $15 an hour.

“Tyson Foods is a homegrown company that has forever altered the economic landscape in Arkansas,” said Mike Preston, Secretary of Commerce and Executive Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

“Poultry production is responsible for about 25 percent of the agriculture jobs in Arkansas, making the state one of the top five broiler producer states in the country. This expansion is a direct reflection of Tyson’s commitment to the Pine Bluff community and the confidence they have in our workforce.”

The company employs more than 24,000 people across Arkansas with an annual payroll of more than $1.4 billion. Tyson Foods paid Arkansas poultry growers more than $237 million in its 2020 fiscal year and estimates its total statewide impact to be $2.1 billion.

“Tyson Foods has been an economic driver for many years in Jefferson County,” said Allison J.H. Thompson, President and CEO, Economic Development Alliance for Jefferson County. “We are excited about their upcoming expansion and have enjoyed working with their team to support this project.”