In the initial days after the Aug. 9 fire at the Tyson Foods beef plant in Holcomb, Kan., the community rallied around the company by sharing the message: “We stand with Tyson. Forward together.”
Steve Stouffer, group president of Tyson Fresh Meats, said Sept. 20 the company was encouraged by the support, “especially as we considered the challenges ahead and how the unfortunate closure of our facility affects so many people: our team members, the community, cattle producers, customers and investors.”
He continued, “We want everyone to know that we have been and will continue to strive to do the right thing for all these important stakeholders as we work to bring our plant back on line.”
As of right now, the company expects the plant to resume operations in early 2020.
Tyson operates six plants in Kansas that employ more than 5,600 people. In the company’s 2018 fiscal year, it paid $269 million in wages within Kansas and estimated its total economic impact in the state to be more than $2.4 billion.
