New poultry plant to bring hundreds of jobs to Screven County

SCREVEN COUNTY, GA (WTOC) - A company that’s been in our area for 70 years will expand this spring and bring more than 100 jobs to Sylvania.

Claxton Poultry will open a new processing plant at the Screven County Industrial Park, and ship chicken to food companies and fast food chains from there.

Screven County’s soon-to-be newest employer comes from just down the road with a very recognizable name.

Construction moves along on Claxton Poultry’s processing plant. They hope to open in May and be up to 120 employees by Fall. The plant means a $12 million investment from the company that they hope will expand their market.

“We’re excited. It’s been a long time coming, and it can’t come soon enough, and we’re glad to see it getting closer to fruition,” said plant manager, Eric Sorel.

The plant will be the county’s first new industry since 2017 and a huge boost to the local economy. It’s also a victory in tough competition among communities to land new industry.

“The biggest factor in businesses’ decisions these days - Claxton Poultry’s especially - is work force, making sure you have a skilled work force that’s skilled in what they need,” said Dorie Bacon, Screven County Economic Development.

Sorel says they anticipate lots of employee applications.

“We’re about 20 percent over the minimum wage,” he said. “There’s a weekly attendance bonus, a monthly attendance bonus, medical, dental, and vision packages are very competitive, 401K, paid vacations.”

They’ll hold their second job fair on April 16 at the Screven County Recreation Department.

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