Walmart officially opened its new beef production facility in Olathe last week, bringing hundreds of jobs with it.
The beef plant celebrated its arrival in Olathe with a grand opening event on Friday, marking the first-ever case-ready beef facility in the country owned and operated by the Arkansas-based retail giant.
At Friday’s grand opening event, officials with Walmart announced the new $250 million Olathe plant will provide more than 600 jobs to Olathe and Johnson County.
The facility opened at 20200 W. 167th St.
- The beef plant occupies a space just off U.S. Highway 169 and 167th Street in southern Olathe.
- At the roughly 300,000-square-foot facility, cuts of Angus beef will be processed, packaged and distributed to roughly 600 Walmart stores across 14 states.
- The beef that is processed at the facility will be sourced from Nebraska-based Sustainable Beef LLC, with which Walmart is an investor.
The facility will bring hundreds of jobs to Johnson County
John Laney, executive vice president of food at Walmart, said that the new facility will pave the way for a more “resilient” and “transparent” supply chain that allows customers to know where their food comes from.
“We’re proud to say that we’re a part of the community here,” he said. “This facility helps us deliver traceability, high-quality products and more strength in our supply chain.”
At Friday’s event, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly — who called herself a “major beef eater” — lauded the potential for the economic impact that Walmart’s new facility could have in the region.
“We couldn’t be more excited about what this means for Olathe and the greater Kansas City area,” she said.
Walmart awarded grants to local organizations
During Friday’s event, the company gave out a total of $90,000 in grant funding for local nonprofit organizations.
Specifically, Walmart awarded $35,000 to Special Olympics Kansas, $20,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Kansas City, $30,000 to Friends in Service of Heroes, and $5,000 to Mayor Bacon’s Book Club.
“Walmart has been an important community partner here in Olathe for many, many years,“ said Olathe Mayor John Bacon at the grand opening event. “To have them further invest in our city and create significant jobs is just outstanding.”
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