Tyson Foods to Build 44,000-SF Office, Locate Over 300 to Emma Avenue

Tyson Foods Inc. announced Thursday that it will locate more than 300 corporate employees in downtown Springdale, and that the company will build a two-story, 44,000-SF building between and behind existing Tyson structures at 317 and 319 E. Emma Ave.

The announcement comes as Tyson continues to renovate the 28,000-SF building at 516 E. Emma, named the Tyson Foods JTL Building. As many as 250 employees will be housed in the new structure, set for completion in 2017, while another 75 will work out of the new JTL location, set for completion in spring, according to a Tyson announcement.

The major announcement, made on-site Thursday morning, follows the poultry giant’s gift of $1 million to the Downtown Springdale Alliance, the non-profit community group spearheading redevelopment of the urban core. That was announced in December.

“While the purpose of that donation was to help jump-start the revitalization of downtown, what’s even more important is bringing people back to Emma Avenue,” Tyson chairman John Tyson said. “That’s why we have plans to locate more than 300 of our corporate team members downtown.”

The new construction will incorporate the original Tyson headquarters and hatchery, according to a press release issued by Tyson. According to Tyson, the relocation of corporate offices to Emma is but one piece of a much greater whole.

“We hope others will join the effort to help make downtown Springdale an intersection where commerce, food, the arts and families meet,” Tyson said.