Stories & News - Peco Foods, Inc.

Peco Foods cuts ribbon on new training center

BATESVILLE, Ark. (KAIT/Edited News Release) – The Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Peco Foods in Batesville, celebrating the opening of the plant’s new training center and the dedication of the Peco Memorial Garden. Mark Hickman, Peco CEO, addressed the crowd and thanked the Batesville team for honoring his late father,…

Steve McLaurin Inducted into Mississippi Poultry Hall of Fame

In 2023, Steve McLaurin, Peco’s special projects manager, became the 37th inductee into the Mississippi Poultry Hall of Fame. A 45-year veteran of the poultry industry, McLaurin has been an integral part of Peco for nearly two decades, playing a key role in the development of sustainable practices across our live operations. Growing up on…

Peco Pocahontas & Together We Foster 2023

Peco Teams Up with Together We Foster to Support Families in Crisis

For the past two years, Peco team members at the Pocahontas complex have volunteered at Together We Foster, a northeast Arkansas organization that supports anyone involved in the foster care reunification process. This includes foster children, their foster parents and their biological families, as well as families with open Protective Service Cases with the local…

Dr. Mike Helwig’s Dedication to Sustainable Bird Nutrition

With nearly 45 years in bird nutrition, Dr. Mike Hellwig embodies Peco’s dedication to continuous improvement and excellence in everything we do. As a poultry nutritionist, he collaborates with Peco’s live production team, in-house veterinarians and team members in the field to analyze data, identify trends and create sustainable feeding practices to prioritize animal welfare.…

Greg Baltz’s Commitment to Sustainable Farming

Greg Baltz has been farming for more than 40 years. After earning a degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, he started farming with his father in 1980 and has been working the land ever since. “I’ve been around a little while,” he says with a chuckle. Baltz has been working…

Peco’s Journey to a Paperless Future

Emily Adkins remembers her first day at Peco Foods like it was yesterday. She started her role as continuous improvement manager at the Fulton Street processing plant in Canton, Mississippi, on Jan. 16, 2023. One of the first things she noticed, however, was that certain areas of the plant were filled with binders of papers.…

Business Alabama: Peco Foods’ Community Efforts Go Well Beyond Chicken Feed

The Tuscaloosa-based poultry producer is an active participant in the communities in which it has plants. One of the country’s top poultry producers, Tuscaloosa-based Peco Foods, has a proud history of philanthropic giving in the communities where its facilities are located. Mark Hickman, the company’s chairman of the board, chief executive officer and president, believes…

Peco Foods Expands Leadership Team, Promoting Kevin Phillips and Scott Alexander

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – January 9, 2024 – Peco Foods, the nation’s seventh largest poultry company, proudly announces two promotions within its senior leadership team. Kevin Phillips will be taking over as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), and Scott Alexander will serve as Senior Corporate Director of Sales and Marketing. Phillips, a seasoned professional with over two…

Peco Foods Expands Leadership Team, Promoting Cameron Sanders and John Taylor Hickman

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – October 17, 2023 – Peco Foods, one of the nation’s largest poultry companies, expands its senior leadership team with the promotions of Cameron Sanders and John Taylor Hickman. Sanders will serve as Peco’s Corporate Director of Animal Health & Welfare and Sustainability, and Hickman will be the Corporate Director of Feed Ingredients…

Meat + Poultry: Bill Griffith Elected Vice Chair of USPOULTRY Board

Bill Griffith, chief operating officer of Peco Foods Inc. in Tuscaloosa, Ala., was elected vice chair of the USPOULTRY board. Prior to joining Peco, Griffith worked as president of Keystone Foods US. He also held positions at Perdue Foods overseeing food safety, quality and regulatory compliance. He was also a microbiologist for Tyson Foods. During…