Fair Oaks Foods to Build $134 Million Facility in Iowa

Fair Oaks Foods is planning to construct a fully cooked bacon facility in Davenport, Iowa. The $134 million investment includes a 150,000-sq-ft facility and will create approximately 247 new full-time jobs. Construction is scheduled to start this summer and is expected to be complete in early 2024. Workers will receive pork bellies and complete all necessary steps before packaging and distribution.

 “I am extremely excited to expand our business to the great city of Davenport,” says Michael L. Thompson, chief executive officer and president of Fair Oaks Foods. “My dream is to build a long-standing ‘Legacy’ family business. The opportunity that the city has extended to us is the right fit, at the right time, for Fair Oaks Foods. It will be a great opportunity for our people to live and thrive in this region.”

The Austin Company was chosen to serve as the design-builder for the project. Austin Consulting, an arm of The Austin Company, assisted Fair Oaks Foods with site location evaluation. “We value our role in this important investment made by a great company in a vibrant and progressive city. We are looking forward to a fruitful partnership that will deliver a successful project to all stakeholders,” states Austin President and CEO Mike Pierce.

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Founded in 1985, Pleasant Prairie, Wis.-based Fair Oaks Foods currently produces and supplies a variety of protein products, including bacon, meatballs, pork, and turkey sausage to foodservice, national grocery stores, and quick-serve restaurants globally. The family-owned meat processing company is the 11^th largest Black-owned business in the U.S.

Austin, established more than 140 years ago, has a long history of building for the food and beverage industry. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Austin also has offices in Atlanta, Ga.; Irvine, Calif.; Kalamazoo, Mich; San Luis Potosi, Mexico; and London, England. Austin also recently purchased Gala and Associates, an engineering company in Beverly Hills, Mich.