Peco Foods closing down Fulton Street plant

Peco Foods announced Friday that they would be closing the Fulton Street location in Canton as one of three Mississippi locations closing.

The 83-year-old Tuscaloosa-based company will close its Fulton Street location in Canton, hatchery in Philadelphia and a facility in Brooksville. These closures are expected to affect as many as 1,300 jobs across the three locations. The announcement came on Thursday, Jan. 7.

Peco Foods Chief Operating Officer Bill Griffith said that Peco is working to provide team members at the affected locations with opportunities throughout the company wherever possible. The company will begin communicating with affected team members immediately with plans to finalize all changes by this summer.

He said that the closures are “inline” with Peco’s long-term strategic vision.

“Since Peco’s beginnings as family-owned company 83 years ago, the industry has drastically shifted,” Griffith said. “By streamlining our operations, we can continue building a sustainable company that will support the families and communities of our team members and customers for years to come. The decisions announced today – each carefully considered – will position Peco strongly for future growth and industry leadership.”

Griffith said that a refocusing of this nature is a first for the 83-year-old family-owned company and will create opportunities for more competitive performance to continue serving Peco’s team members, customers and communities long-term.

Chief Executive Officer Mark Hickman said the closings “take industry trends into account, shifting production based on customer feedback and consumer habits.”

He noted that resources will be redirected and invested in ramping up production in their West Point location and adding operations in Sebastopol and at another plant in Pocahontas, Ark.

“By growing strategically, we can continue attracting and retaining the brightest in the industry and contributing to economic development across our footprint,” Hickman said. “We are thankful for the community support we’ve received over the years and look forward to impacting the region as a growing, thriving company employing thousands.”

Headquartered in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with processing plants in Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama, Peco Foods, Inc., has grown from a small hatchery and feed mill to “one of the industry’s leading suppliers” over the past 83 years. They currently employ 7,000 people throughout Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas. Peco also has two locations in Bay Springs, a processing plant in West Point and another in Canton on Feather Lane in the state.