PINE BLUFF, Ark. — Cornerstone PB Holdings of Dallas announced on Nov. 22 that it would purchase and renovate a poultry processing facility in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The company managing the operation will be named Cornerstone Processing LLC.

According to a release by the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, the project is expected to be open in February 2020 and will create 150 new jobs.

“We are thrilled to announce that after long last, we will be opening Cornerstone Processing for business in the very near future,” said Ashley Dugas, partner of Cornerstone. “We are committed to being an upstanding corporate citizen who gives back to the Pine Bluff and surrounding communities by providing employment for hundreds of people and fostering positive relationships at the local, regional and state levels.”

Stacey Kesler has been hired as the plant manager and director of operations for Cornerstone Processing in Pine Bluff. He has worked in the poultry processing industry for 10 years and previously worked at Walter Valley Poultry in Walter Valley, Mississippi.

“We look forward to a mutually-beneficial relationship with the good folks of Pine Bluff, and we will be looking for hard-working and committed workers to help us get there,” Kesler said.

The operations will include holding areas that can serve eight truckloads of live hens in a covered and cooled environment. 

The company will start accepting employment applications at the plant on Dec. 16. In addition, it will conduct an on-site job fair in partnership with the Economic Development Alliance of Jefferson County. The dates for the fair will be announced in the next few weeks.