Poultry Group Taking Over Pine Bluff Facility, Adding 100+ Jobs

Summit Poultry, Inc., an Arkansas corporation, has entered into an agreement to acquire the former Horizon Foods poultry processing facility in Pine Bluff.

Summit actually took possession of the plant in early December. It will process spent hens, primarily for export markets around the world.

According to company officials, Summit Poultry has already hired workers to fill 100 available positions at the plant. Most of the new hires formerly worked at the processing plant under previous management.

Summit plans to hire additional employees starting in January 2014 as its hen supply increases. Summit’s general manager, Harry Schmid of California, said the plant will begin processing hens by mid-January 2014.

Horizon closed its doors in Pine Bluff in June of this year, just 11 months after it opened. At the time, it employed approximately 180 workers.