Dorada Poultry Announces Plans to Open in Ponca City, OK

Chicken processing operation will hire 350 new employees and provide economic stimulus to Northern Oklahoma.

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Aug 31, 2010, 06:00 ET

PONCA CITY, Okla., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Dorada Poultry of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma announced it will occupy the former 180,000 square foot Tyson Foods facility located at 2000 Hall Boulevard in Ponca City, Oklahoma. The plant, which is scheduled to become operational in mid-2011, will provide chicken products to McDonald’s® U.S. restaurants and is expected to employ approximately 350 employees, five days per week, 24 hours a day.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100831/CL56504 )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100831/CL56504 )

Dorada Poultry is a joint venture between the principals of Lopez Foods, Inc. (LFI) of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the nation's largest Hispanic-owned meat manufacturing company, and Tyson Foods, Inc. of Springdale, Arkansas, one of the world's largest processors and marketers of chicken, beef and pork products.

"We are proud to become members of the Ponca City business community and look forward to becoming a model of corporate citizenship," said Dorada Poultry Chairman and CEO Ed Sanchez. "With an anticipated economic impact of $7 million per year in payroll, we will make a major economic contribution to the region where our employees will live, work and play. We want our workforce to be proud to call Dorada Poultry their employer."

"This innovative venture will enable us to expand Tyson's involvement in providing a reliable supply of safe, consistent quality chicken that meets McDonald's high standards," said Donnie Smith, president and chief executive officer of Tyson. "We look forward to supporting Dorada Poultry's production of great food for a very important customer." An economic impact model developed by the Ponca City Development Authority, (PCDA) forecasts the Dorada Poultry plant will contribute $217 million to the Ponca City community over the next ten years.

McDonald’s is the trademark of McDonald’s Corporation and its affiliates.

"Projects of this magnitude provide not only significant employment opportunities, they also reach deep within a community," said PCDA Executive Director David Myers, referring to the 350 jobs projected for the project. "This is an extremely important project for Ponca City and we could not have asked for a better result," he added.

About Lopez Foods, Inc.

The Dorada Poultry principals also operate Lopez Foods, which specializes in high quality, further processed protein products such as fully cooked beef patties, breakfast sausage, and chicken, individually quick frozen (IQF) beef patties and a variety of other pork, beef and chicken products. LFI products are available to consumers through a number of renowned customers, including: Burger King, Costco, Kroger's, McDonald's, Sam's Club, Sonic, Target, and Walmart Stores. It operates an 185,000 square foot processing facility in Oklahoma City with a workforce of 500 and is also the parent company of Campos Foods Inc., with an 85,000 square foot facility in Caryville, Tennessee, that employs 200 associates.

About Tyson Foods, Inc.

Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN), founded in 1935 with headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, is one of the world's largest processors and marketers of chicken, beef and pork, the second largest food production company in the Fortune 500 and a member of the S&P 500. The company produces a wide variety of protein-based and prepared food products and is the recognized market leader in the retail and foodservice markets it serves. Tyson provides products and services to customers throughout the United States and more than 90 countries. The company has approximately 117,000 Team Members employed at more than 400 facilities and offices in the United States and around the world. Through its Core Values, Code of Conduct and Team Member Bill of Rights, Tyson strives to operate with integrity and trust and is committed to creating value for its shareholders, customers and Team Members. The company also strives to be faith-friendly, provide a safe work environment and serve as stewards of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it.

Forward Looking Statements

This release includes forward-looking statements as well as historical information. These forward-looking statements may include statements relating to expected plant start-up; employment; production volumes; and expectations of management of future performance relating to the products described therein. Historical performance is not an indication of, nor does it guarantee, future results. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: consumer demand and perceptions; availability and cost of raw materials, equipment, and utilities; foreseeable or unforeseeable construction delays; changes in laws or regulations; customer requests and requirements; and the ability to compete in products and prices in a competitive industry.

For more information, visit www.lopezfoods.com or www.tyson.com/Corporate.

SOURCE Dorada Poultry