Smithfield, T. Denny Sanford team up on new Sioux Falls processing plant
Billionaire philanthropist to help move pork plant from Falls Park area, into Interstate 90, 29 nexus
Smithfield Foods will vacate the site of its pork processing plant near downtown Sioux Falls and build a new slaughterhouse, following a $50 million donation from banker and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford.
Smithfield, which purchased John Morrell and Co. in 1995, will build a new modern processing plant in north Sioux Falls, clearing the way for the current site next to the city’s iconic Falls Park to be redeveloped. The Smithfield plant occupies more than 80 acres of land, according to city records.
The announcement by Smithfield CEO Shane Smith marks one of the most monumental moves in Sioux Falls history. Smithfield is the city’s fourth-largest employer, with more than 3,100 employees.
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