John Morrell to build Greenfield distribution center, create 260 jobs by end of 2016

One of the oldest meatpackers in the country will build a central Indiana distribution center, creating 260 jobs by the end of 2016, the company announced Wednesday.

John Morrell Food Group said it plans to invest $43.5 million to build and equip a 426,000-square-foot plant in the Greenfield area about 15 miles east of Indianapolis.

Morrell plans to begin construction of the refrigerated facility immediately and should finish within 10 to 12 months, said Skip Kuker, executive director of the Hancock County Economic Development Council. The new, full-time jobs will pay an average wage of $19.51 an hour, he said.

Hancock County has approved a 10-year tax abatement for the project, which is expected to save John Morrell about $5.1 million in property and equipment-related taxes, Kuker said.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered Morrell up to $1.5 million in conditional tax credits and $250,000 in infrastructure aid, the state agency said.

John Morrell Food Group, a subsidiary of Virginia-based Smithfield Foods, specializes in ham, bacon and other pork products. It has 17 meatpacking plants across the country, including one in Peru.

The company traces its roots back to the 1827 founding of John Morrell & Co. in England.