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News/Noticias CARNECO and IBP to jointly own Nebraska processing plant. Columbus, Nebraska (December 15, 2000) — Carneco Holding, Inc. and IBP, Inc. have formed a partnership that will share the ownership and operations of IBP's ground beef processing plant in Columbus, Nebraska, officials from both companies announced today. Effective January 1, 2001, IBP will transfer majority ownership and operational management to the new partnership and will immediately change the name of the plant from Platte County Processed Meats to Carneco Foods. Plant employees and their benefits will remain essentially the same. IBP purchased the Columbus ground beef plant three years ago and has since expanded employment and production. The 140,000 square foot facility currently employs approximately 300 people and produces 2.5 to 3.5 million pounds of ground beef each week. Product lines include ground beef patties, retail-ready trays and "chubs" or tubes that are sold to retail and foodservice customers. Carneco Holding is a wholly owned subsidiary of Oklahoma-based Lopez Foods, Inc. (LFI), the nation's largest Hispanic-owned meat processing company. IBP is the world's largest producer of fresh beef and pork. "Carneco will be an excellent partner that will help further the progress and success of the Columbus plant," said Richard Bond, IBP president and chief operating officer. "This new relationship will help broaden the plant's customer base. Carneco is part of a company that has excelled in providing high quality products and services to some of the nation's leading foodservice and retail companies." "We are honored to join with IBP in this venture," stated John C. Lopez, chairman and CEO of Lopez Foods, Inc. "We believe our growth within the U.S. and internationally will continue to flourish, especially because of the added production capacity the Nebraska plant provides our company." "We believe the expansion will allow us more options in serving our existing customers, as well as the opportunity to establish new relationships," commented Charlie Barajas, LFI president and chief operating officer. "We are excited to welcome the employees, suppliers and vendors of IBP into our company, and we anticipate a smooth and positive transition." Headquartered in South Dakota, IBP has more than 60 production sites in North America, joint venture operations in China, Ireland and Russia and sales offices throughout the world. The company, which generated sales of $14.1 billion in 1999, employs approximately 50,000 people. The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce recently named Lopez Foods its 1999 "National Minority Manufacturer Firm of the Year." The meat processing company was selected from among the nation's largest minority-owned businesses for the honor. LFI continues to provide customers like McDonald's and Wal-Mart Stores with the best quality and value in products and services. The company employs more than 300 people at its headquarters and meat processing plant in Oklahoma City, making it one of the city's major employers and sales leaders. The company also operates a facility in Guatemala that services McDonald's in Central America.
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