Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
JASPER – Wabash Valley Foods LLC is looking to add a $63 million egg processing plant in Dubois to supply egg-based products to Tyson Foods’ Jimmy Dean brand.
Andy Seger, chief financial officer and senior vice president of sales for Wabash Valley Produce, addressed the Dubois County Council at a special meeting Monday of the council to consider tax abatements on improvements to the property and the purchase of equipment.
According to a report by the Dubois Free Press, Seger said Wabash Valley Foods LLC signed a contract with Tyson to supply “value-added egg products for the Jimmy Dean breakfast brand.”
Seger added that the partnership with Tyson and the Jimmy Dean brand represents a growth opportunity that doesn’t come along very often.
Wabash Valley is a leading egg processor in the United States and has its headquarters in Dubois. It has three independent egg processing plants in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, according to its website. It is privately owned and managed by the Seger family.
Seger told the council the level of incentives will factor into Wabash Valley’s decision on whether to locate this new operation in Indiana or at one of its other plants.
In 2022, Wabash Valley bought the former Indiana Furniture Industries factory. Wabash Valley plans to renovate the structure and expand it. When complete, the new plant will be about 86,000 square feet.
The new plant will initially employ about 31 new hires to support the highly automated and technologically leveraged facility, which will be designed for significant capacity for future growth. The target completion date of the new plant is October 2024.
Ed Cole, president of Dubois Strong, the county’s economic development organization, said Wabash Valley’s expansion plan would be “a tremendous plus” for Dubois County.
“Wabash Valley is a bedrock business for us. We are fortunate that they want to expand their operations here,” Cole said. “They are taking on an old facility and that’s a tremendous plus as well.”
Cole said Wabash Valley also is a strong corporate citizen and involved with the community, from supporting local causes to coaching youth soccer.
“The family is incredibly engaged in the community,” Cole said. “We’re very fortunate to have a company like Wabash Valley in Dubois.”
Abatement details
The scored abatement application supported a 10-year property tax abatement for the estimated $24 million in real property. The abatement would be 100 percent in the first year and then 95 percent in the second year. In years three through nine, the amount would reduce by 10 percent annually (85, 75, 65). In the final year, the tax abatement would be 10 percent.
The estimated $39 million in personal property qualified for a five-year abatement.
The council unanimously approved a resolution supporting the abatements for Wabash Valley Food LLC. The final approval on the tax abatement requests is scheduled for June 19.