Poultry equipment company opens for business in Decatur

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

— A new Georgia Poultry Equipment Company store opened in the north end of the Decatur General Store building on Monday.

L&L Farms, Inc., announced that the Decatur General Store would be closing in April and, while the store is still open, a liquidation sale sign hangs outside.

The 8,000-square-foot Georgia Poultry Equipment Company store will focus on selling equipment systems, parts and supplies for poultry producers, according to recruiting and training manager Jamie Thomas of Newton Grove, N.C. The remainder of the General Store building is available for lease, according to the April press release from L & L Farms.

Modern poultry houses require complex mechanical systems for feed, water and ventilation, and Georgia Poultry Equipment Company focuses on selling the systems along with poultryrelated hardware and parts, Thomas said.

The Decatur store will employ two full-time employees and plans to hire a service technician in the near future, regional manager Mike Lucariello said. In the meantime, technicians from other local stores can assist Decatur customers, he said.

Georgia Poultry Equipment Company is owned by Hog Slat, Inc., which is headquartered in Newton Grove, Thomas said. While Georgia Poultry EquipmentCompany serves poultry growers, Hog Slat focuses on supplying the needs of hog producers, she explained.

Hog Slat, Inc., was founded in 1969 by Billy Herring and continues to be a family-owned business, according to the company web site, www.hotslat.com. Newton Grove is a small town like Decatur and the company is dedicated to the many communities it works in, Lucariello said.

Georgia Poultry Equipment Company has 18 storelocations in Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri, according to the company web site.

Locally, Georgia Poultry Equipment Company stores are located in Siloam Springs, Berryville, Hindsville and Wheaton, Mo., Lucariello said.

The Decatur Georgia Poultry Equipment Company store will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and can be contacted at 752-8200.

Community, Pages 11 on 06/06/2012