DECATUR -- The final piece of Lloyd Peterson poultry legacy, Crystal Lake Farms will cease operations in Decatur in September, according to an announcement made my Gerald Lessard, president of the Decatur-based free-range poultry company.
In a letter to Decatur Mayor Bob Tharp dated July 12, Lessard announced the closure of the Jay, Okla., plant, as well as all Decatur operations, including the main office.
"(We) made the difficult decision to permanently close the plant located at 1200 E Roller Ave, Decatur, Arkansas 72772 and its headquarters located at 352 North Main Street, Decatur, Arkansas 72722," Lessard wrote. "Crystal Lake Farms hereby provides notice of separation and plant closure expected to take place as early as September 10, 2018."
The Iowa-based West Liberty Foods Poultry and Crystal Lake merged on Feb. 27, 2017. On March 9 of this year, Crystal Lake Farms opened its new office in the old Grand Savings Bank community room.
The closures will affect 123 employees in its Jay operation and 49 in Decatur and may come as early as Sept. 10
No reason was cited for the closure in the announcement. All of the affected employees received their notification from Crystal Lake Farms prior to the press release to the public.
General News on 07/18/2018