Tyson Foods to expand Pennsylvania distribution facility, add 114 jobs

Tyson Foods Inc. will invest nearly $60 million to expand its distribution center in Pottsville, Penn. The project will “add jobs, improve efficiency and support the company’s plans for growth,” according to a company news release.

The expansion includes a 164,000-square-foot addition to the existing facility, according to the release. The Pottsville distribution center currently serves retail and foodservice customers in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.

The project is expected to start this summer and be completed in late 2018. It will add 114 jobs, bringing total employment at the distribution center to about 220.

“This expansion will allow us to better service our customers and ship our complete portfolio of protein-packed brands from one distribution center. New technology will also improve team member safety while reducing our carbon footprint,” Gregg Uecker, Tyson Foods’ senior vice president of network planning and integration, said in the release. “We thank the Department of Community and Economic Development for their help on this project and continued support of our efforts to grow in the community.”

Tyson Foods, according to the release, received a funding proposal from the Department of Community and Economic Development that includes a $46,400 WEDnet grant and $228,000 in Job Creation Tax Credits to be distributed upon creation of the new jobs.

“I’m proud to announce that Tyson Foods will expand and create 114 family-sustaining jobs in Schuylkill County,” Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said in the release. “The company is investing heavily in its future in Pennsylvania with its own $59.7 million capital investment. The I-81 corridor has become an extremely attractive location for food processors, and I applaud Tyson Foods for choosing to grow right here in Pennsylvania.”