The city issued a construction permit Jan. 8 to The Haskell Co. for the first phase to convert the former Tyson Foods Inc. plant in Northwest Jacksonville into a facility for Thomas Foods International USA at a project cost of almost $2.77 million.
The scope of work for the project at 5441 W. Fifth St. is divided into two phases.
Permit documents show each of the two phases will require a permit.
The city began reviewing a permit application created Oct. 24 for the entire project at an estimated project cost of almost $6.1 million for the 45,000-square-foot building’s use as a meat-processing facility.
According to the application, the first phase of the project involves the maintenance and upgrade of an existing facility originally built for meat-processing operations.
“The facility will continue to operate as a meat processing plant upon completion,” the permit description says.
“This phase includes maintenance and upgrades to an existing facility originally built for meat processing operations. The work involves re-roofing; plumbing fixture replacement near gang RR; exterior improvements; replacement of selected architectural and structural elements; and installation of new finishes and fixtures to enhance performance, durability, and compliance with current standards and insurance requirements.”
It says the first phase is for a Certificate of Completion.
It says the second phase will include the installation of a fire suppression sprinkler system and construction of a fire pump room, along with the installation of process equipment.”
Haskell will submit all required construction documents to obtain a building permit and Certificate of Occupancy.
Thomas Foods International USA bought the former Tyson Foods Inc. plant Sept. 17 for $3.55 million, another step in showing it matched the city description of a code-named company seeking to restart it.
Thomas Foods International is an Australian meat-processing and exporting company. It specializes in beef, lamb and goat products. It also sells seafood.
Thomas Foods says it processes and distributes more than 100 million pounds of meat products a year in the U.S. from its Lakeside Processing Facility in Swedesboro, New Jersey.
It makes prepackaged, retail-ready meat products for retail stores that “arrive prepared for immediate display in your meat case.”
Its U.S. headquarters is in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Founded in 1988 by Chris Thomas, the company is now led by his son, Darren.
The company says it has teams in Australia, the U.S., China, Japan and Europe.
Project Pan
Thomas Foods matches the code-named Project Pan that was approved for $800,000 in city incentives Aug. 26 by the Jacksonville City Council to establish a meat-processing operation.
Resolution 2025-0607 and supporting city records identify Project Pan as an international meat processor interested in investing $28 million into a vacant facility. Based on an independent comparison, the facility as described in city documents matched the vacant former Tyson Foods Inc. plant at 5441 W. Fifth St.
Bruss Co. of Springdale, Arkansas, sold the plant to Thomas, which bought it through TFI USA Properties LLC.
Bruss Co. bought the plant in 2012 for $1.5 million.
The almost 47,000-square-foot warehouse was built in 1974 on 4.29 acres. In return for the public funding, Project Pan would build-out the 50,000-square-foot facility, where it would create up to 100 new jobs within the first three years of operations.
Those jobs would pay an annual wage of $59,211 plus a benefits package equal to about $16,000 per employee, a staff report on the legislation states.
According to an amendment added to the legislation, the REV grant would be terminated if the company does not create 10 jobs by 2029.
According to the OED report, the facility would produce 1 million pounds of finished product weekly.
Ed Randolph, the city’s executive director of economic development, said Project Pan would bring in meat products from overseas and would be a heavy port user. He said Jacksonville was competing for the plant with Savannah, Georgia, which also provides port access.
Tyson closed in 2024
Tyson Foods Inc. notified the state and Mayor Donna Deegan in November 2023 that it was closing its Jacksonville plant effective Jan. 8, 2024, cutting 219 jobs.