The Greater Fremont Development Council yesterday announced that Costco Wholesale Corporation (Costco) has selected the Greater Fremont area in Dodge County as a preferred site to construct a state-of-the-art poultry processing complex.

"We are delighted that Costco is strongly considering the Greater Fremont area and Dodge County for its new facility," Greater Fremont Development Council, Executive Director, Cecilia Harry said. "Costco has an excellent reputation as a responsible American corporation. This poultry operation would be an economic boost to the region, providing jobs, economic diversity for family farms and an opportunity for younger farmers to stay in the area."

ECONOMIC BENEFITS: According to the Greater Fremont Development Council, the state-of-the-art poultry processing facility would bring several economic benefits, including the creation of 1,100 new jobs and investing $180 million in capital in the region. Copyright Scott Olson, Getty Images

Benefits to the area
According to the Greater Fremont Development Council, the facility would:

• Create 1,100 new jobs;

• Invest $180 million in capital in the region;

• Provide the Greater Fremont/Dodge County area with an additional tax base of $63 million and bring another level of philanthropy to the community, which will create another great corporate partner;

• Offer opportunities for workers to gain entry into the job market and further enhance their skill sets in our state's top industry – agriculture. The jobs created will vary from management to production.

Costco representatives would work directly with local farmers to provide locally raised poultry, which would result in expanded economic growth and diversity. The established farmer network with 75 to 100 growers would bring an additional $136 million in capital investment to the rural economy.

Area corn and soybean growers also would benefit from a new buyer of their product. The company plans to purchase the 300,000 bushels of corn and 3,000 tons of soybean meal required per week from local providers.

A prime location
Costco chose Dodge County based on a number of factors, including the quality of the workforce, the cost of doing business, available land, a supportive farm community willing to grow chickens, proximity to customers and suppliers, the local availability of corn and soy meal for feeding the poultry and the overall quality of life.

"There is more due diligence to be completed by Costco representatives, and there will be a number of open public meetings to discuss the project," Harry said. "Costco representatives also will reach out to interested growers throughout the region to discuss details of the grower network."

The Greater Fremont Development Council worked closely to attract this project with support from Fremont Mayor Scott Getzschman, the Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership, Nebraska Department of Economic Development, Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Dodge County Government, Fremont Department of Utilities, City of Fremont, the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (AFAN) and other community officials.

Check back for updates as this story develops at www.NebraskaFarmer.com.

Source: Greater Fremont Development Council