GREELEY, Colo.—JBS-Swift plans to hire 1,300 more workers to add a second shift at its meatpacking plant in Greeley.
JBS-Swift spokesman Marco Sampaio said Thursday the new shift would be added Sept. 4 and the company expects to be running at full capacity in three to four months after that.
“We have a plant that has the capacity to run the double shift, and we want to maximize its capacity and production,” Sampaio told a Greeley Chamber of Commerce event.
City leaders and economists have said the additional workers could pump millions of dollars into the economy. University of Northern Colorado economist John Green has estimated that an additional 1,000 workers could generate up to $80 million in economic benefits.
So far, JBS-Swift doesn’t plan to expand operations at its other plants. Sampaio said the Greeley plant was the only one not running at full capacity.
Brazilian-based JBS SA, Latin America’s largest beef processor, completed a $1.5 billion deal to buy Greeley-based Swift & Co. earlier this month. Sampaio said the new owners will make more changes.
