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Tyson Food to build a beef and pork plant in Eagle Mountain, employing more than 800

(AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File) In this Oct. 28, 2009, file photo, a Tyson Foods, Inc., truck is parked at a food warehouse in Little Rock, Ark. Tyson Foods is recalling more than 36,000 pounds (16,329 kilograms) of chicken nuggets because they may be contaminated with rubber. The U.S. Agriculture Department says there were consumer complaints about extraneous material in 5-pound (2 kilogram) packages of Tyson White Meat Panko Chicken Nuggets. There are no confirmed reports of adverse reactions.

  | May 16, 2019, 8:32 p.m.
| Updated: 10:08 p.m.

One of Utah’s fastest growing cities will soon be home to a major food production plant.

Eagle Mountain announced Thursday that Tyson Fresh Meat will invest nearly $300 million in the facility that will initially provide 800 jobs, and the company expects that to expand to 1,200 jobs within three years. The company says the plant will open in 2021.

Fresh beef and pork will be brought in from other locations and workers will cut it up into steaks, chops and ground beef. The meat will then be packaged, weighed, labeled and ships to retailers.

“We welcome Tyson Fresh Meats to Eagle Mountain,” Mayor Tom Westmoreland said. “This facility will provide jobs for our community, allowing people to work closer to home. It will also bring needed infrastructure, especially roads that will provide better east/west connection to the Cedar Valley.”

Tyson Fresh Meat, a subsidiary of Tyson Food Inc., has these same type of food production plants in Iowa, Tennessee and Texas. Starting wages at the current plants range from $14.40 to $16.50, and come with health care benefits.

“We’re grateful for the invitation to come to Eagle Mountain and Utah County,” said Nate Hodne, senior vice president and general manager of case ready meats for Tyson Fresh Meats. “We’ve built some great relationships during the initial phases of this process, and we appreciate the strong support we’ve received from local leadership."

The Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development previously announced Tyson Fresh Meat would be coming to Utah, adding $27 million in state tax revenue over the next 10 years. During that same time, it’s anticipated the project will have more than $1 billion in economic impact due to construction, salaries, taxable sales and other investments to the local economy.

“It’s great to see Tyson Foods expand in Eagle Mountain,” said Val Hale, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. “New jobs in that area will provide employment opportunities for many city residents who commute to work in the Utah and Salt Lake Valleys. Employment opportunities like this, closer to home, help reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality.”

As part of a tax incentive, Tyson Fresh Meats may earn up to 20% of the new state taxes they will pay over the next 10 years in the form of a post-performance tax credit. The company can earn part of that credit each year, as long as it fulfills its responsibilities in the deal.