South Georgia chicken jobs coming home to roost

By Dan Chapman

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

When the economy tanked, people stopped eating meat, a chicken-processing plant in southeast Georgia closed and the local unemployment rate hit 18 percent.

Thursday – National Prayer Day – Pilgrim’s Pride announced the re-opening of its Coffee County plant and the re-hiring by early 2011 of 1,000 workers.

“We had a ceremony at the courthouse for the National Day of Prayer and the news just made everybody just that much more thankful,” said JoAnne Lewis, executive director of the Douglas-Coffee County Economic Development Authority. “Our prayers were answered.”

Chicken-processing giant Pilgrim’s Pride shuttered the Douglas poultry plant in February 2009, putting 900 workers on the streets. Another 400 or so chicken farmers, truckers and suppliers also lost jobs, Lewis said.

The Texas-based chicken company contributed $34 million in payroll to the local economy. Pilgrim’s Pride, which declared bankruptcy in December 2008, closed a Dalton chicken plant that year too and laid off 280 people.

The company exited bankruptcy last December. Thursday, while announcing a net loss of $45.5 million for the last quarter, Pilgrim’s said the Douglas plant would re-open by January 2011.

"We fully believe that with the strengthening economy and improving fundamentals, consumer demand for chicken is increasing," said Don Jackson, the company chief executive.

Georgia politicians, beleaguered by double-digit unemployment, rejoiced.

“This is one time we’re happy that the chickens have come home to roost,” Gov. Sonny Perdue said.

Hundreds of chicken-growing and poultry-supplying jobs should follow.

The state of Georgia gave incentives to Pilgrim’s – job tax credits, training and property-tax abatements – totaling $30.1 million, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

It’s worth it to Lewis.

“We had so many churches and individuals praying for jobs of some type,” she said. “We’re real damn happy.”