It’s over, folks. The group of local investors have pulled away from the table and are no longer seeking to purchase the idled Pilgrim’s Pride plant in El Dorado.
Look for more in Saturday’s News-Times.
It’s over, folks. The group of local investors have pulled away from the table and are no longer seeking to purchase the idled Pilgrim’s Pride plant in El Dorado.
Look for more in Saturday’s News-Times.
Great. Now the Pilgrim’s Pride building will join County Market as just an eyesore…and a reminder of 1500+ lost jobs.
What a sad,sad situation here in El Dorado arkansas. My heart goes out to each and every family member that lost their jobs. I will keep them in my prayers. What will happen to these family when their unemployment runs out and their is no jobs around?
Too bad the city council won’t stop bickering over trivial sign ordinances and do something about all the dilapidated property like County Market. Old houses in Ward 3 get condemned and burned down, but deadbeat property owners that have eyesores on main drags get by with it. Why doesn’t Rachel McKinney’s old house on Calion Road get stuck with a condemnation order?
Isn’t Billy Blann, an alderman on the El Dorado City Council, a part owner in the old County Market building? I think Clifton Stringfellow is the other partner.
I think we are wasting time and energy talking how best to make our city more attractive and put all that wasted time to good use and look for some industry to come here. Building a convention center will not help this town enough to keep all of our folks here. Eventually they will leave to find good work and el dorado will be a ghost town in more ways then just the buildings
Thanks for this news. It is so sad to hear. i wish something could have been done to save the plant.
This is such sad news. I can’t believe El Dorado is dwindling down to nothing. What is gonna happen next? We have few industries left that can support a massive workforce. I pray for those who lost their jobs.
Bankerchick, you are absolutely right. Even Mayor Mike Dumas admitted that there is most likely no way this city can support the conference center. There isn’t adequate hotel space, plus there is no way to shuttle folks from area hotels to the proposed downtown conference center.
This is the biggest blunder in El Dorado’s history. Spending money on a conference center is a complete waste. This will be the white elephant to end all white elephants.
Not only is there 1500+ jobs lost and another empty building in El Dorado, but there are independent growers that have invested all their savings and put up everything they own in order to build poultry houses for Pilgrim’s Pride. Now they are left with million dollar loans with no way to pay for them. Soon, the growers will be forced to move out of their homes and off their farms adding to the decline of the economic base of this area. With the Farmerville facality being sold to Foster Farms (thanks to La. Gov. Jindal) those growers were spared, Ouachita County growers were picked up by Pilgrim’s Pride Nasville plant, and Columbia County growers were picked up by Pilgrim’s Pride Lewisville plant, it seems that the Union County growers are left out in the cold. I commend those investors that tried to save this plant for the good of our community. With the lack of effort on the part of Governor Beebee and the attitude of Pilgrim’s Pride in their effort to manipulate the price of chicken on the market, it was a monumental task. Just remember when you buy Pilgrim’s Pride products, eat chicken at Wendy’s, McDonalds, KFC, or Applebee’s, you will be putting money in the pockets of the tyrants that had an adverse effect upon the economic stability of our community.
I pray all pf those who have lost their jobs but the same time I pray for the big picture here in El Dorado too.All this not only affects the workers and the growersit affects the rest of the people in the town who have businesses but without jobs there isn’t any money to support the town and I don’t think this convention center thing is gonna be what it is cracked up to be. Is there anyone out there looking for more industry to bring to this town? Is anyone out there promoting the virtues of bringing their business to our town?
Pilgrims Pride – Just one more building to add to El Dorado’s list of eyesores. Seems our town is turning facedown at a very rapid rate. I have made many phone calls to the code enforcement office regarding such vacant and un-appealing places that need to be eradicated; even talked to our mayor by phone; but so far, I don’t see any action.
The call center is moving forward, but I can’t understand why WE will have to buy a facility FOR them. The Brookshire’s building on North West has been spoken of, yet the city can’t enter into a purchase of a privately owned building to use for this purpose. Hello, leadership? Please rise!
Maybe the growers can stay in this convention center when we are left homeless. At least it will be a roof over our head. At 50 years old, it is going to be tough starting all over again with absolutely nothing. Like most growers, everything we own is tied up with the loan for these chicken houses. It’s not in anyway similiar to just losing a job. My family has everything, I mean everything, but the clothes on our back tied up on these poultry houses. But it’s not just this family, but there are approximately 150 families in the same dire situation. I built our home 25 years ago and now it looks as if I will be forced to move out. To alot of people, THIS IS THE BIG PICTURE ! !
Now may be the time for a different way of thinking. To those private investors that were behind the El Dorado Poultry Company, maybe y’all should go ahead with the venture anyway, albeit on a smaller scale, and build your own plant. Maybe focus on specialty chicken products, rather than the standard family pack of legs or boneless skinless breasts. Maybe try to fill a niche market, like chickens grown on organic feed only. Anything would be better than just throwing up your hands and giving up.
Brain, you are absolutely right. But the growers aren’t in any financial shape to take on such a venture. We are all up to our eyeballs in debt now, thanks to Pilgrim’s Pride. It will take some local investors that have the financial means to bring something like this to reality.
Finally, the El Dorado growers have a complaint filed in the bankruptcy proceedings involving the actions of Pilgrim’s Pride. It was filed the same day as the complaint from the city of Clinton. Maybe now, the under-handed tactics employed by Pilgrims will be made public in a court atmosphere where some sense of justice will prevail. With all the politicians and private investors throwing in the towel, it seems that it is the independent growers last hope before we have to move out of our homes.
Well here is another reason Gov. Beebe hasn’t shown much interest in helping secure a buyer for the El Dorado plant. Morril Harriman, former state senator from Van Buren, is the poultry industry’s LEAD LOBBYIST (good friend of Beebe) and he has steered a large sum of Arkansas’ poultry industry money into Beebe’s coffers.
Anyone have any info on the County Market building? I’m looking to put a business in the area and am looking for about 4K – 5K sqft. Any info will help. Tweet me @RayZorback or email me: rnkjunk@gmail.com (it is the “public” email. I’ll give you my personal email when I receive yours).