From the Road: Journal Entries from the Campaign Trail

Meat Processing Plant Boosts Gordon-area Economy
2006-04-16

By Shannon Smith Calitri

On Saturday, April 1, Scott toured the Local Pride meat processing operation in Gordon, which processes kosher beef, lamb and bison products using workers from the nearby Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Scott visited while the plant was being retrofitted to increase capacity. According to Gary Ruse, Local Pride spokesperson and general manager, the plant will employ as many as 70 people when it reopens.

"Obviously, the addition of 70 new jobs will with strenthen the economy of this region for years to come," Scott said. "This is an excellent example of what can happen when we support the vision of local leaders the way we should."

Local Pride, LLC, is owned by the Rubashkin family, which also owns AgriProcessors of Postville, Iowa, one of the largest kosher meat packing operations in the country. The Rubashkins worked closely on the Gordon project with the city, state, and Oglala Sioux Tribe as well as the Oglala Oyate Woitancan Empowerment Zone and the tribe’s Workforce in Action Program. The arrangement took several years to come to fruition, but the efforts of these organizations helped fill a significant void that resulted when the plant’s previous owner, Premium Beef, shut down in 1996.

According to Gordon City Manager, Fred Hlava, the Pine Ridge reservation area in South Dakota received the Empowerment Zone classification because it was identified as a low-employment, poverty area by the federal government. The designation allows for some tax incentives for the city.

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