At the ribbon cutting ceremony for Butterball’s seventh facility, complex manager Frank Koekkoek discusses the Raeford, N.C. community support and how this facility will help increase Butterball’s production. Below is a transcript of his speech.

“I’d like to thank you all for coming out to celebrate the grand opening of Butterball’s seventh facility. My name is Frank Koekkoek, and I am the complex manager here in Raeford. I started working in the turkey industry at the age of 17, so for those of you who may not be turkey aficionados, let me give you some quick facts about Butterball that you may be interested to know about.

“The Butterball brand is more than 60 years old, and we distribute product throughout the United States and 45 countries. The world’s largest turkey processing facility is the Butterball plant located about in Mt. Olive, N.C. We have plants in Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois. As a company Butterball produces more than one billion pounds of turkey each year. This plant will soon have the capacity of producing 200 million pounds annually.

“Now with all that in mind, please let it sink it that the most recognized turkey brand in America handpicked Raeford for its new home. Butterball has invested significant resources here in Raeford, and we have enjoyed getting to know the Raeford community. I recognize many faces here today, and we are truly appreciative of the community support we’ve received since we purchased this facility Feb. 19, 2015.”

Make sure to watch our other videos from the Butterball Ribbon Cutting with COO Joe Nalley and VP of Operations Mike Bliss.