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Peco Plant Manager Alan Risley Won’t Play Chicken With Employee Health

3 min read
Alan Risley, an Arkansas native, earned a double major in biology and psychology from Ouachita Baptist University. He began his career in the poultry industry in 2000. After joining Peco Foods in June 2014, he served in multiple processing, operational and sales roles. In his current role, plant manager, he assisted in the construction and startup of the Pocahontas Processing Facility.

Risley sits on the Five Rivers Hospital Advisory Board and is involved in several civic organizations.He says Peco Foods’ decisions during the pandemic have been driven by honesty and an ethic of putting team members’ safety first.

Give us an overview of Peco’s Arkansas operations. How many people does Peco employ in Arkansas, what products are made here, etc.?

About 3,500 work at the company’s six facilities. The Batesville processing plant has about 1,600, and the Pocahontas processing plant has 1,443. The Batesville hatchery produces 1 million chicks a week, and the Pocahontas hatchery produces 1.8 million per week. About 50 people work at each of the feed mills in Corning and Newark. The combined production of the two processing plants is currently about 2.8 million chickens per week out of a capacity of 3 million.

The Arkansas plants produce fresh chicken products, along with further processed items for quick-service restaurants and other national chains. Some of the NAE (no antibiotics ever) market is sold to other companies for further processing.

What attracted you to the poultry industry?

I was initially attracted to the poultry industry because of the large variety of opportunities. This industry allows me to be a part of numerous initiatives, projects and teams that present new and exciting challenges every day.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The best part about my job is the unique combination of people and technology. Even with the latest and greatest tech equipment, this industry cannot run without a strong team. One of our core values is “people power our business,” and Peco stays true to this by being a team-oriented company always putting its people first. Helping create and support these teams and contribute to their success is the most inspiring aspect of my job.

How has Peco adjusted its Arkansas operations in response to the pandemic?

Being classified as an essential business, Peco had to move quickly to protect our team members, customers, growers and suppliers. Immediately, we were establishing preventive measures and implementing all CDC recommendations as they were released and, in several cases, before they were officially released. Our company remains true to our core values and our promise that we will put our team members’ safety first.

What are the company’s biggest business challenges to adapt to the changes wrought by COVID-19?

The health and safety of our 7,000-plus team members have and always will be our top priority, especially as we continue to navigate these challenging times. Our goal is for every team member to return home safe, every day. Every decision we’ve made through this challenging time is with our team members, community, customers and consumers top of mind.

What’s the best advice you ever received?

“Do not dwell on who gets the credit, just the end result.” Two generations of business owners and leaders in my family operated under this statement, and I have found it provides the freedom to execute swiftly and reward the high performers in the organization.

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