Meatpacker JBS beefs up employment in Weld County

For decades, the big cattle slaughterhouse on the north end of town was known as the Monfort plant. Then ConAgra. Then Swift & Co. The facility's current owner, JBS USA, doesn't have the same local history. But what it lacks in institutional tradition, it's making up for in sheer size and growth. Since acquiring Swift & Co. in 2007, Brazil-based meatpacking giant JBS has beefed up the Greeley operation to become the largest employer in Weld County with a workforce of 5,000. Visitors to the sprawling headquarters of JBS's U.S. unit in Greeley receive a quick corporate education via a video screen in the lobby that plays a continuous loop of JBS's vital statistics. Among the company's superlatives: Largest beef packer in the world. Largest meatpacker in the world. One of the three largest meatpackers in the U.S. Major cattle feedlot operator in the U.S. In the second quarter of 2010, JBS USA's beef operations had $3.3 billion in sales, up 14 percent from the prior year. Operating earnings increased 86 percent, to $194.9 million. Greeley is the hub of operations. But with the Swift purchase and other acquisitions, JBS has a national presence with 45 meat processing facilities and 11 feedlots that in total employ 70,000 workers. Since the Swift & Co. acquisition, JBS subsequently has purchased the beef processing operations of Smithfield Foods and acquired poultry processor Pilgrim's Pride. The acquisitions brought hundreds of new administrative workers to the Greeley headquarters. In addition, JBS established a trucking hub in Greeley with 419 drivers and support workers...more