ARTICLE
Date	ArticleType
2/15/2005	Economic Development
Case Farms Announces Expansion into Cleveland County
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 15; 2005 7:00 p.m. Case Farms, Inc Announces State-Of-The-Art Feed Mill in Shelby, NC (Shelby, NC) – An integrated poultry processing company is expanding into Cleveland County and economic development officials are anticipating the creation of up to 25 jobs with an investment of $15 million. The company will begin operations in the spring of 2006. The Cleveland County Chamber’s Economic Development Division is announcing the expansion of Case Farms, Inc. to a 35 acre site located on Airport Road. The Morganton, NC based company is anticipating the hiring of 25 new positions in Cleveland County. Case Farms is a completely integrated poultry processing company with 3 processing plants, with one located in Morganton, NC, Goldsboro, NC, and Winesburg, Oh. The company employs 1800 people with expected sales in 2005 reaching $300 million. The feed mill located in Cleveland County will have an initial capacity of 6,000 tons per week with room for expansion reaching 12,000 tons per week. The mill will produce feed for 4.5 to 7 million birds in 7 North Carolina counties. This represents over 150 family-owned farms. Ken Wilson of Case Farms said, "We are grateful for the assistance we received from the Cleveland County Commission, City of Shelby, Cleveland County Sanitary District, and the Cleveland County Chamber’s Economic Development Division to make this a successful project for Case Farms and Cleveland County. Case Farms has enjoyed a very good business relationship in Cleveland County over the years with 34 growers in the county, with a capacity of 1.6 million birds. We will be looking to expand the number of growers in Cleveland County.” Mayor Ted Alexander of the City of Shelby said, "We are excited about the announcement by Case Farms especially in light of the level of their investment and the new jobs that would be created." Ronnie Hawkins, Chairman, Cleveland County Commission said, "Cleveland County has a long standing history of agriculture in our county. This project gives us an opportunity to continue to diversify and create economic sustainability throughout the entire county. We are appreciative for the investment in the feed mill and the future growth to the farming communities throughout the county." Mark Carter, Chairman of the Cleveland County Chamber of Commerce said, "We are very excited to see Case Farms making such a commitment to our corporate community. Agriculture plays a vital role in our local economy, and we look forward to seeing more growth throughout the county." "We are excited about the location of Case Farms in Cleveland County," said Scott Darnell, SR. VP of Economic Development. “The location of the feed mill in Cleveland County will be a great addition to our tax base while providing a greater opportunity for our local farmers to diversify and expand into the poultry business. As the number of houses expands, more services in the farming communities will be used and our local businesses will be the beneficiary." Greg Traywick, Cleveland County Extension Director said, "NC Cooperative Extension is excited about this expansion and the many opportunities it will provide the local community. Opportunities for families to generate additional income from growing birds, opportunities to preserve family farms and to keep production agriculture a viable part of Cleveland County's landscape, our lifestyle, and our economy." ###