Rendering of Tyson Foods incubation center
Tyson Foods will invest $31 million in a new incubation center to be built in Springdale, Arkansas. (Rendering: Tyson Foods)
 

SPRINGDALE, Ark. – Tyson Foods board members, executives and other dignitaries joined Chairman John Tyson for the groundbreaking of the company’s new incubation center. The project is expected to cost $31 million.

The project, which Tyson announced in November 2015, calls for more than 75,000 sq. ft. of new construction. The incubation center will replace the company’s hatcheries in Lincoln, Arkansas, and Springdale. The new facility will employ robotics to assist with worker safety and ergonomics and the latest biosecurity measures to promote improved overall bird health. The facility also will feature state-of-the-art ventilation and environmental controls. The hatchery is expected to be complete by mid-2017. About 35 employees will work at the center once it’s fully operational.

“We have a rich heritage in Springdale and we’re proud to continue our tradition of investment here with the new incubation center,” Tyson said in a news release. “Since we’re a company that’s always looking for ways to be better, world-class innovation will be a key part of this building.”

Tyson Foods also is renovating property in downtown Springdale, including the company’s original headquarters. A new two-story, 44,000-sq.-ft. facility will be built on the site, preserving the original façade. The building, which the company expects to be completed in the second half of 2017, will accommodate 200 employees.