Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tyson Foods, the nation’s largest protein company, will create more than 375 jobs and invest $300 million to build a manufacturing facility in Cane Creek Centre, an industrial park jointly owned by the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County. The Fortune 200 company will construct a 325,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility to primarily produce premium quality, fully cooked Tyson brand like Any’tizer® Snacks and Chicken Nuggets.
Virginia competed with North Carolina for the project and Tyson Foods selected the Commonwealth in part due to Southern Virginia’s workforce pipeline and their skills in robotics, automation and mechatronics. The region’s investment in the pipeline, including that of IALR’s in programs like GO TEC, helped attract the company.
“Our company has been successfully working in the Commonwealth of Virginia for decades,” said Group President of Poultry for Tyson Foods David Bray. “We’re thankful for the invitation to become a part of the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County communities. The location is appealing because of the strong support from both state and local leaders, as well as the viability of labor in the region.”
Support for Tyson Foods’ job creation will be provided through the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program, a workforce initiative created by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership in collaboration with the Virginia Community College System, and other educational partners including Danville Community College and IALR.
“Tyson has a strong reputation for supporting the communities in which the company locates and committing to the personal development of its most precious resource—a talented and strong workforce,” said Executive Director of the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance Linda Green. “Tyson’s decision to locate a facility in Cane Creek Centre is a testament to the region’s workforce and leaders whose investments in a robust workforce pipeline, paired with the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program, will catapult the success of employees in a highly automated food processing facility.”
