Tyson Foods is engaged in an approximately 285,000-sf expansion of its Springdale, Ark., world headquarters. The $85-to $95-million project is comprised of a new 174,000-sf, four-story office tower connecting to the existing facility; and a Discovery center--a research, development and training complex. The Discovery Center complex will also include a separate 63,000-sf building housing 18 test kitchens, a retail presentation kitchen, a foodservice presentation kitchen, and a "kitchen of the future". The building will also have office space for 125 people.
In addition, a USDA-inspected pilot plant covering 48,000 sf will be constructed to provide a manufacturing environment for product development and new concepts to improve "speed to market". It will also include a test kitchen, as well as facilities for packaging design and shelf-life studies. Preliminary work on the overall project is already underway. The four-story office building is scheduled to be completed by late summer or early fall of 2006, with the rest of the project reaching completion by early 2007. Crossland Construction Company of Columbus, Kansas, is the general contractor for the project.
