Leaders from Tyson Fresh Meats, the beef and pork unit of Tyson Foods Inc., along with Utah state leaders and Eagle Mountain City, Utah, officials broke ground Oct. 29 on the site of the company’s new case-ready beef and pork facility.

"We congratulate Tyson on breaking ground in Eagle Mountain City," said Val Hale, executive director of the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development. "The future of the company in Utah is bright, and we're appreciative of the new jobs and corporate citizenship Tyson will bring to Utah Valley and the state."

The case-ready meat cutting and packaging operation will convert fresh beef and pork -- brought in from other locations -- into steaks, chops, roasts and ground beef. The products will be placed in trays, weighed, labeled and then shipped to retailers for sale in grocery store meat cases.

“Eagle Mountain City is thrilled to welcome Tyson Fresh Meats to our community,” mayor Tom Westmoreland said. “Tyson has proven to be a great partner already. We look forward to the completion of this facility and the job opportunities and economic benefit it will bring.”

The $300 million project is expected to initially create more than 800 local jobs and expand to 1,200 positions within three years after opening. The annual local payroll is projected at $44 million. The project will add an estimated $27 million in new state tax revenue over the next 10 years. It is anticipated that the project will have an economic impact of more than $1 billion in the first 10 years due to facility construction, salaries, taxable sales and other investments in the local economy.

“We are excited to join the Eagle Mountain City community, and in addition to bringing jobs to the area, we look forward to being both a supportive community and business partner,” said Steve Stouffer, president of Tyson Fresh Meats. “Our purpose -- raising the world’s expectations for how much good food can do -- motivates us to be engaged and positively contribute in our communities. We’re ready to get involved and be a part of what makes Eagle Mountain City a great place to live.”

The plant will be located in the Pole Canyon development at the southwest end of Eagle Mountain City and is expected to open as soon as 2021.

“After a great deal of planning and working in partnership with the developer, the state and local government, in particular Eagle Mountain City, it’s exciting to finally break ground on our new case-ready plant,” said Nate Hodne, senior vice president of the Tyson Portioned Protein Innovations team. “The addition of this facility allows us to expand Tyson’s ability to meet growing demand from our customers for portioned and convenient meat products their consumers are demanding.”

The company also announced a donation of 144,000 meals to the Community Action Services & Food Bank in Provo, Utah, as part of its commitment to supporting the communities where it operates.

Tyson Fresh Meats currently operates case-ready plants in Iowa, Tennessee and Texas.