Beef processing plant to open in Pleasant Hope

A beef processing plant is bringing hundreds of jobs to Pleasant Hope.

Missouri Prime Beef Packers LLC is slated to open the 250-employee plant this month, said Gail Noggle, executive director of the Economic Development Alliance over Bolivar and Polk counties.

“The ownership has shown their commitment to the longevity and success of this plant by empowering us to use our experience to design a state-of-the-art beef processing plant that will be a model for future facilities," said Nick Paschkov, chief operating officer for Missouri Prime Beef Packers, in a news release. “This company emphasizes food and employee safety and product quality over volume production, and our design accounts for that.”

Missouri Prime Beef Packers took over a former pork processing facility for its 100,000-square-foot venture. An undisclosed dollar amount of upgrades and modifications were made to the plant.

The company was registered with the Missouri secretary of state on Oct. 2, 2020, by Karen Buckman, with its principal office in Paxico, Kansas. The release lists Derek Thompson and Stacy Davies as co-owners.

The plant is designed to process 500 head per day. It also will custom process cattle, the release said.

The facility previously was operated by Moon Ridge Foods, which opened in 2016. After posting $70 million in sales during its first 12 months in operation, the company temporarily closed the plant as part of a restructuring effort, according to past reporting. It's unclear whether the plant ever reopened, as its business profile on Google marks the facility as permanently closed.