Peco Foods will close three plants, including the one in Brooksville, in order to expand three more, including the one in West Point, the company announced this morning in a press release.

The chicken processing company currently employs 7,000 people at its 13 locations in Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi. The plants in Canton and Philadelphia will also close, according to the press release.

“Peco is working diligently to provide team members at the affected locations with opportunities throughout the company wherever possible, living out the company’s core value of doing the right thing for their people,” the press release reads.

Peco will also expand its facilities in Sebastopol and Pocahontas, Arkansas, in order to “expand value-added product lines and meet rising demands for customer-driven, innovative foods,” according to the press release.

“By streamlining our operations, we can continue building a sustainable company that will support the families and communities of our team members and customers for years to come,” Chief Operating Officer Bill Griffith said in the press release.

Both the West Point and Brooksville facilities are “further” processing plants, meaning they produce “value-added products like chicken nuggets and breaded filets” rather than plain processed meats.

The plant in Brooksville employs 275 people, and the one in West Point employs 44 but will add 200 more over the course of three years when the addition of a par-fry facility is complete. Par-frying (short for partial frying) is the first step in the frying process, and the food is frozen, packaged and distributed afterward. The facility has been under construction since late 2019.

Joe Max Higgins, CEO of the Golden Triangle Development LINK, told The Dispatch he supports Peco’s repositioning efforts.

“The past year has been tremendously difficult for companies all over the Golden Triangle,” Higgins said. “We’re committed to supporting Peco Foods as they position themselves to be successful and remain committed to our communities to make sure that everyone who wants a job has a job. We’re working with the company on the additional investment at the West Point facility and making sure team members in the Brooksville facility get placed quickly.”

Peco’s other Mississippi facilities are in Lake and Bay Springs, and all seven locations in the state have a total of about 3,600 employees.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.