WEST LIBERTY FOODS MAKES MAJOR $500,000 GIFT TO THE WEST LIBERTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
West Liberty Foods make the dream a reality with large gift.
WEST LIBERTY, IA – The West Liberty School District is receiving a major gift from the city’s largest business, West Liberty Foods. The West Liberty Foods board of directors met with Superintendent Shaun Kruger and Activities Director Adam Loria on June 3rd to learn more about the project and long-term district strategy. The board of directors, led by CEO Brandon Achen, consists of turkey growers from all over the State of Iowa, and after hearing a presentation about the school district’s plans for the new athletic complex, the board voted unanimously to approve a $500,000 donation. The $500,000 will be spread over five years and requires the district to match the funds, which is typical for gifts of this size. This makes West Liberty Foods the keynote sponsor for the complex and puts the district 60% of the way to the total fundraising goal of $2 million. Fundraising kicked off at a press conference on March 29th and the district has raised $1.2 million in under three months for the project.
“This is a game-changer,” said Superintendent Shaun Kruger. “The meeting with the West Liberty Foods board could not have gone any better. The board is a group of accomplished business owners and Iowa growers. They had great questions and were very supportive of what we presented and towards public education in general. Many of them have served on their own local school boards. Their vote of approval reaffirms my confidence that we are doing the right thing with these funds to move the district forward.”
History of West Liberty Foods
In 1943, Louis H. Rich purchased the West Liberty plant, a former tomato canning facility, when he decided to expand the operations of the Rock Island Produce Company, located on 9th Street in Rock Island, IL. In 1946, Rich’s sons, Norman and Martin, converted the plant to a slaughter facility for poultry, including chickens and turkeys, and by 1949 refocused solely on turkeys. The plant was first expanded in 1960, and in 1979 Oscar Mayer acquired the plant, through its purchase of Louis Rich, Inc. Oscar Mayer continued to operate turkey production in the facility until 1996 when a decision was made to either sell the plant or close the doors.
By 1996, there were several farmers throughout the state of Iowa that grew turkeys for Oscar Mayer, and when the plant closure was announced 47 of them came together to form a cooperative called the Iowa Turkey Growers Cooperative, start a new business named West Liberty Foods, and keep the plant open. To help the start-up succeed, Oscar Mayer agreed to purchase half of the output the first year in business and a quarter of the output in year two. The first few years in business were tough. The growers worked countless hours on all the regulatory, government, and tax requirements to start the company and still had to raise turkeys to feed the plant. Most of them farmed grain crops in addition to raising turkeys, so the hours were long and the financial stress was significant. At the time the market was oversupplied with turkey, prices hit a historic low, and a few growers decided to leave the group.
“Times were tough,” said Don Daufeldt, a West Liberty farmer and one of the original owners who still farms and raises turkeys on his farm outside west of West Liberty. “There was an extreme amount of stress and hardship, but all our livelihoods depended on keeping the plant open. And, not just ours, but all the people who worked at the plant and the community of West Liberty. If the plant closed, many people would be affected.”
Eventually, the tide turned as turkey prices rebounded and the company won a few large contracts with companies like Sara Lee. Sales grew steadily and West Liberty Foods continued to expand, purchasing facilities in Sigourney and Mounty Pleasant, IA, Bolingbrook, IL, and Tremonton, Utah. West Liberty, IA continues to be corporate headquarters and is home for research and development, the quality assurance laboratory, and company administration. In 2012 the company was the first U.S. manufacturer of its size to be certified landfill free by the NSF International Strategic Registrations, meaning less than 1% of the company’s waste ends up in landfills. Currently, the company employs over 2200 people in three different states and supplies turkey to the global market.
The Gift
The gift from West Liberty Foods will have wide-ranging impact and is about much more than putting in a new football field. The board of directors prioritizes philanthropy and specifically initiatives that support education and youth. In recent years, the board approved a large gift to Iowa State University for the Stanley L. Balloun Turkey Teaching and Research Facility, the only facility of its kind focused on turkey production at a major university. CEO, Brandon Achen, said it makes sense to bring the investment to their flagship location.
“There’s no question this is the right thing to do,” said Achen. “West Liberty has been good to us, and our success depends on operations at the West Liberty facility. We have a great team in place and want to support them and their families as much as possible. We also need to recruit new team members as the company grows, and studies show that school district performance is one of the biggest deciding factors for families looking to put down roots.”
Superintendent Kruger agrees that new athletic facilities will bring several benefits to the district.
“I’m here for the long haul,” said Kruger. “Budgeting and fiscal policy is one of the most important parts of my job. I need to spend money that gets a big return for the district. Not only are our current track and field facilities inadequate and in need of significant repair, but the first thing families looking to move do is drive through town and check out facilities.”
Not only will the gift help with attracting talent, but many of the current West Liberty Foods employees will benefit. The company has more families in the district than any other business or organization in town. Several employees have children that played on the state qualifying soccer team this year. West Liberty has an outstanding soccer program, but does not have a regulation soccer field. That will change with this project.
“The new athletic complex opens up many opportunities for West Liberty,” said Activities Director Loria. “The amount of events we can host, the type of events we can host, the crowds we can accommodate will all grow. This brings people and money to town.”
Recent Announcements
West Liberty Foods has made several press worthy announcements in recent months. The company plans to build a new facility in the West Liberty area sometime in the next five years and announced Brandon Achen as CEO in May.
“We have an aging facility that has outlived its useful life,” said Achen. “We know we need to do something. These things take time and there are a lot of decisions to be made. Two things we know is that we will likely build in the next five years, and it will be in the West Liberty area.”
Achen grew up on a turkey farm in Wayland, IA and his parents are among the original owners of West Liberty Foods and are still part of the company today. He graduated from Iowa State University and has worked at West Liberty Foods in various roles for 16 years. He and his wife, Kira, live in West Liberty and have four children in the district.
“I begged my dad to take my 4H group on a field trip to the plant when I was in elementary school. The first time I walked through the plant I was in awe. I knew I wanted to work at the plant in some capacity,” said Achen.
Economic Development Director, Ken Brooks, said the financial gift to the school, the new plant project, and having the new CEO in town will have major impact on West Liberty.
“I’m very excited about all three of these announcements. Two of the most important people in a small town are the superintendent of the school and the CEO of the largest employer. We have both of those individuals living in the community with plans to stay for a long time. That is extremely beneficial for long-term strategy and community development,” said Brooks. “I work with a lot of companies large and small. Very few step up this way to move a community forward. That says a lot about West Liberty Foods, and you can bet their customers will take note.”
Brooks said corporate responsibility and philanthropy are expected as part of doing business now and will continue to be in the future.
“Companies looking for suppliers want more than just a product,” said Brooks. “They want a supplier that is socially responsible and gives back to make the world a better place. They are looking for partners in business and community betterment. West Liberty Foods is doing a good job of this.”
The Future
With the boost from West Liberty Foods, the school can now start seriously planning to finish out the entire athletic complex which includes all the new outdoor fields, concession area, and track, and a new state-of-the-art indoor facility. The school still needs about $800,000 to reach its goal, but Activities Director Loria is confident they will get there.
“I am totally blown away with how quickly the fundraising has moved along,” said Loria. “We had a short list of companies and foundations that we thought could step up at the $500,000 keynote sponsorship level, and West Liberty Foods was at the top of the list. To have a local company supporting us this way is a true gift and worth as much as the money itself.”
The plan is to break ground on the initial dirt work sometime in August and begin construction on fields and facilities in the fall. The district hopes to host their first event in the new complex by fall of 2023. Between the new athletic complex, plans to expand West Liberty Foods, and new leadership in various businesses and organizations in town, West Liberty is set to experience a boom in the next five years.
“I feel blessed to have been hired for this job at this moment,” said Kruger. “We are moving forward and it’s all positive. I’m so impressed with the community leaders, Brandon and the team at West Liberty Foods, and my staff. But, most importantly, I’m grateful for all the families that put their kids in this district and especially those that are volunteering time and giving money to make us the best district in the state of Iowa.”
CONTACTS:
Shaun Kruger, West Liberty Schools Superintendent (319) 627-2116
Adam Loria, West Liberty Schools Activities Director (319) 627-2116
Brandon Achen, CEO, West Liberty Foods (319)627-6000