Source:  Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 9/25/09

Georgetown, Del.-based poultry processor Townsends Inc. will add 103 jobs at its Mocksville, N.C., plant as part of a $700,000 investment over the next three years, North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue announced Friday.

The expansion received a $250,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund.

"Food production and economic growth go hand in hand in North Carolina, a tradition underscored by Townsends' expansion in Mocksville," Perdue said in a statement.

The Mocksville facility, which operates as Crestwood Farms, a division of Townsends, is driving the company's expansion into value-added chicken products. Its latest plan calls for increasing capacity by some 25 percent by adding a new production line of fully cooked products.

Salaries for the 103 new workers on average will be $21,496 per year, not including benefits.

"Townsends is proud to be a part of the North Carolina business community," John Pastrana, the company's vice president of operations, said in a statement. "We appreciate all the hard work and time everyone has put into this project. Thank you, North Carolina, for your support."

Townsends completed a $9 million expansion of the Mocksville plant in December. 

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