National Beef, the nation’s fourth-largest beef processor, has begun operations in the newest addition to its Moultrie, Ga., facility. This latest expansion, a $4.5 million capital investment, adds 110 jobs, bringing the company's total work force in Moultrie to 575 employees.

National Beef processes beef sold in Wal-Mart stores throughout the southeast United States. The only rancher-owned, fully-integrated beef processor in the U.S., it opened a 98,000 square foot “case-ready” cutting operation in Moultrie in 2001, initially employing 120 people. The facility has expanded five times since then, and has added 18,000 square feet of cooler/storage space in this latest expansion, bringing the total size of the plant to 120,000 square feet. National Beef partnered with Georgia Quick Start to train its 110 new employees.

“Our Moultrie facility is a classic success story between business, the state and the local community,” said Terry Wilkerson, National Beef's executive vice president for strategic business development. “Three key factors to our success in Moultrie are the pro-business environment that the state, county and city have created to attract and keep businesses; a great work force filled with hard-working and dedicated local employees, without whom we would not be able to produce the quality of the product our customers expect; and a dynamic and innovative customer in Wal-Mart. National Beef appreciates the support we have received from the state of Georgia and the Moultrie-Colquitt County Development Authority, and we look forward to our continued success in Moultrie.”

The Moultrie facility processes more than 1.2 million pounds of beef a week, servicing six Wal-Mart distribution centers and more than 500 Wal-Mart Supercenters in six southeastern states - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. National Beef has experienced a 100 percent increase in market share over the last 12 years.

National Beef was the first company in Georgia to receive funding from the OneGeorgia Authority, created to assist the state’s most economically challenged areas with one third of Georgia’s tobacco settlement funds. Since OneGeorgia was founded in 2000, more than $150 million has been distributed to 114 counties and has led to the creation of more than 31,000 jobs.

“The funds from the OneGeorgia Authority EDGE grant created jobs and economic growth in a region crippled by downsizing and closing industry,” said Nancy Cobb, executive director of OneGeorgia. “By investing $1,500,000, OneGeorgia helped bring the $19,000,000 project to completion. But it has been the regional leadership and the workforce at National Beef who are responsible for the sustainability and continued growth of the facility in Moultrie.”

National Beef Packing Company, LLC is based in Kansas City. Its majority owner, U.S. Premium Beef, makes National Beef the only major beef processing company in the United States with a majority of its ownership held by beef producers. With sales exceeding $4 billion annually and 14 percent market share, National Beef’s U.S. operations include Liberal and Dodge City, Kan.; Brawley, Calif.; Hummel’s Wharf, Pa.; Moultrie, Ga. and Kansas City, Kan.

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