Arkansas is home to three of America’s Fortune 500 companies: Walmart, Dillard’s and Tyson Foods. Two of these companies, Walmart and Tyson Foods, are located in Northwest Arkansas where I live. I have chosen to investigate Tyson Foods as a potential employer because of their impact on the local economy, their steady growth over the years, and their impressive economic performance in recent years. Background In 1931, in the midst of the Great Depression, a truck driver by the name of John Tyson arrived in Springdale, Arkansas in search of a better life. Some stories relate that he actually ran out of gas there and started hauling whatever he could to make money. He eventually started his own business delivering chickens to markets …show more content…
They also introduced chicken planks and breaded pieces of boneless chicken the same year which they sold throughout the country under various names. In 1980, they introduced a full line of convenience foods that were sold in supermarkets under the brand name Chick’n Quick®. In 1983, Tyson branched out in the convenience food market by acquiring Mexican Original, Inc., a tortilla company in Fayetteville, Arkansas. By 1989, when they purchased Holly Farms, the company had doubled in size becoming “the world’s largest fully-integrated producer, processor and marketer of poultry-based foods” (“High Quality Fresh & Frozen …show more content…
They also introduced the NatureRaised Farms™ brand, which excludes antibiotics, and the minimally processed animals are fed a vegetarian diet to produce a more natural product. New pork and beef brands were also introduced to appeal to health conscious consumers: Open Prairie Natural Angus™ and Open Prairie™. These natural products are produced from animals that are raised without antibiotics or added hormones. In November, Tyson announced the purchase of Original Philly Holdings, the company that makes the original Philly cheesesteak. The company currently has two plants in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 250 employees. According to Tyson’s President of Prepared Foods, Sally Grimes, “’Original Philly Holdings is a natural, strategic fit with our Prepared Foods business‘” (Tanenbaum, 2017). Not only are domestic sales strong, but Tyson’s global sales are also strong due to a high demand for protein products worldwide. The sale of beef constitutes a huge market for Tyson in China because their IBP brand is so well-recognized there.