Meat jerky company Chomps is set to bring 250 jobs to Mexico, Missouri. The company is moving into a 300,000-square-foot facility that will finish renovations by next summer.
Chomps is continuing its partnership with the meat snack processing company Western Smokehouse Partners, who they have worked with since 2016. The pair decided to expand to meet growing demand.
The city’s director of economic development Amy O’Brien said she hopes that the new jobs keep residents within the community.
“We have over 3,000 Audrain countians leaving the county to go to work, and by creating opportunities within our county, maybe we can retain some of them to work where they live,” O’Brien said. “We're going to have to work together. We want to make sure that we stay involved with the other manufacturers in the area and that we aren’t just moving people around. We want to make sure that we offer good wages.”
Western Smokehouse Partners CEO Matt Bormann said that entry-level wages will start between $18 and $18.50 an hour for production line workers. The companies will receive the tax reduction of the previous tenants that will last until 2036.
“What we want to do is have a strong starting wage to give people a livable wage,” Bormann said. “But then also give them a lot of opportunity to advance.”
The city is working with Moberly Area Community College and the Mexico Chamber of Commerce on workforce training and outreach to attract workers to the new facility.