The following was written by the Michigan Pork Producers Assn.
Over the past several months, residents and visitors to the Coldwater area have been able to watch the Clemens Food Group pork processing facility take shape, from groundbreaking to a large structure. Located near Interstate-69, the facility is set to open Labor Day 2017.
Construction on the project began in July of 2015, but community relations and workforce development coordinator Earnest Meily said the ball on the project started rolling nearly eight years ago.
"We started looking about eight years ago for growth and for sustainability for the future," he said. "It was two or three years now that we started working with the producers here in Michigan and the feasibility study came into play. We finally got together in the Southwest Michigan area. Heading up the site selection team, it really came down to the ag prevalence in that area, workforce availability—we felt there was a good opportunity there—, the location of the hogs, and the proximity to I-69 and 80/90. Plus, the Coldwater area has responded very well to us. They have been very welcoming and great to work with."
Meily moved to the Coldwater area from Pennsylvania, where he headed up human resources at the other Clemens Food Group processing plant.
"Part of the goal of someone coming early was to get into the community and let people know about the culture of the organization," he said. "Clemens Food Group is a six generation family owned business that focuses on building for the future through long-term relationships."
As a way to get involved with the community and to help create a workforce for the facility, Clemens Food Group has been working with the local ISD to create a program for adults and high school students to learn more trades skills.
The facility began taking shape in Coldwater with the groundbreaking last July. Approximately two-thirds of the 660,000-square-foot facility is now under roof.
"This past winter has been really nice for construction," Meily said. "We are pretty much on schedule with construction. The equipment, hogs and hiring process are all components that fit into the overall schedule."
The equipment is starting to be delivered, Meily said.
"Starting with the cut floor, there is a lot of equipment that needs to go in the plant," he said. "Early in 2017 we will be begin hooking up the equipment."
"The focus of the workforce development team will be to do the county fair circuit in the area this summer, to meet people and tell them about who we are," Melly said. "One of the keys to success is assuring we have the right management team in place. Beginning in late 2016 and early 2017, we will do information sessions describing our company and jobs we will be providing in the new facility. In February, we will start doing career fairs and continue to introduce specific jobs, environmental conditions and Personal Protective Equipment needed to prospective employees. Starting in July 2017, the production workforce will be hired and brought on. They will go through 30-60 days of production training. At start up, we might start doing only 100 animals. As quickly as possible, we want to get up to 10,000 hogs processed per day."
Meily said the hiring process has actually already begun. Approximately 10 people have been hired so far in managerial positions and are in Pennsylvania at the other Clemens Food Group plant for training. The facility will provide jobs for 835 people in the Coldwater area.
The plant is expected to process 10,000 hogs per day. This is a fresh pork facility, so there will be no further processing—a large majority of the product will be shipped to other facilities for further processing.
"As we get comfortable, we will evaluate a second shift potential," Meily said. "The biggest opportunity (for the community) will be the workforce. For a second shift there needs to be some growth. Ultimately, it will be a supply and demand decision. We feel really good about the supply."
This facility will have numerous positive impacts on the area. With this large of a plant, there will be a lot of resources going into making this plant operational. A large number of the hogs will be coming from Michigan. Meily said we are looking local for other resources too.
"We have been very diligent to look at local contractors," he said. "On the supplier side, we have people registering that may want to sell us gas, boxes and everything that the plant may need. What you do well, do better than everybody else—what you don't, find someone who does. We process pork. That is what we feel we do well. What the producers in Michigan do well is raise pork. Ultimately that is how the partnership came together. It's the same thing with sanitation, security and transportation. There will be a lot of different intersections to make this plant a success."
Meily said he thinks the facility is a good thing for the local economy.
"I do think long term the plant will bring opportunities" he said. "We think the housing market is something that will need to respond."
"The Clemens Food group is a very philanthropic organization and is committed to giving back to the communities where they operate," Meily said. "As we look to the future we are excited about the partnerships we have formed and the ones we will form as we move forward with this very exciting project."