Cornerstone PB Holdings LLC and Cornerstone Processing LLC announced this week that they will open a poultry processing plant in Pine Bluff, Ark., creating up to 150 new jobs in its initial wave of hiring.

“We are thrilled to announce that, after long last, we will be opening Cornerstone Processing for business in the very near future,” said Ashley Dugas, partner of Cornerstone. “We are committed to being an upstanding corporate citizen who gives back to the Pine Bluff and surrounding communities by providing employment for hundreds of people and fostering positive relationships at the local, regional and state levels.”

Cornerstone has undertaken significant improvements and renovations to the plant in anticipation of an early 2020 opening for operations, including the construction of a holding area with the capacity to temporarily accommodate up to eight truckloads of live hens in a covered and cooled environment.

“The Economic Development Alliance for Jefferson County has worked closely with Cornerstone executives as they work to get the plant ready for production,” president and chief executive officer Allison Thompson said. “We are excited about new production in the facility and the jobs that will be created. It has been a pleasure working with Cornerstone, and we look forward to welcoming them to the community.”

Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston said, “It’s great to see a former plant brought back to life in an industry that has a ready workforce in Pine Bluff and the surrounding communities. Cornerstone is ready to make a successful go of it, and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission is proud to have been a part of bringing the project to the area.”

Leading the Cornerstone team for Pine Bluff will be Stacey Kesler, who has been hired as plant manager and director of operations. He has more than 10 years of experience in the poultry processing industry – most recently as the plant manager for Walter Valley Poultry in Water Valley, Miss. – and brings with him a wealth of knowledge about the industry.

“We look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship with the good folks of Pine Bluff, and we will be looking for hard-working and committed workers to help us get there,” Kesler said.

Cornerstone will begin accepting employment applications at the plant beginning Dec. 16 and will conduct an on-site job fair in partnership with the Economic Development Alliance of Jefferson County. The dates for the fair will be announced in the coming weeks.