Arkadelphia Lands $5.4 Million Poultry Plant, 172 Jobs

Vikon Farms, a poultry processing company, will locate a new processing facility in Arkadelphia, which will employ more than 172 people within four years, the company said.

Vikon will invest $5.4 million in the facility, formerly home to Petit Jean Poultry.

In addition to the jobs created directly by the new processing facility, Vikon will also contract with a significant number of growers from El Dorado and Union County along with a Vikon supported hatchery in Prescott. El Dorado was significantly hurt by the closure of a Pilgrim’s Pride facility in the region nearly three years ago. Vikon produces a specialty breed of chicken that serves numerous Asian markets.

“We are excited to be here,” said Quan Phu, President and CEO of Vikon Farms. “We appreciate the extensive amount of support from the Arkadelphia Economic Development Alliance and Arkansas Economic Development Commission. Our expansion to Arkansas could not have been done without the unwavering assistance of the Arkadelphia, El Dorado, and Prescott communities.”

Vikon Farms raises chickens that are free-range and naturally grown. The poultry maintains an all grain diet with no hormones or antibiotics added.

Vikon Farms will be the first company to locate in Arkadelphia and Clark County since the passage of the community’s Economic Development Tax.

“This is the type of announcement that shows exactly how working together can pay off,” said Shawnie Carrier, President and CEO of the Arkadelphia Regional Economic Development Alliance. “Vikon Farms will be a name all of Southwest Arkansas can be proud of. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Quan Phu and his team as he makes this project a reality. He expressed the attention to detail and welcoming nature of Clark County and Arkansas helped make the decision to move his California business here. We are so glad he did.”