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Inconspiguous plant: Mason City meat processor celebrates 40years at site (with photos)
By ASHLEY STEWART [email protected] Sep 21, 2018 Updated 10 min ago
9/24/2018 Inconspiguous plant: Mason City meat processor celebrates 40 years at site (with photos) | Mason City & North Iowa | globegazette.com
https://globegazette.com/news/local/inconspiguous-plant-mason-city-meat-processor-celebrates-years-at-site/article_56acdd0b-3ff6-5287-847c-16eedb9a53c9.html#17 2/27
BUY NOWTim Meyer, who has worked at Smith�eld Foods in Mason City for almost 40 years, talks about the
changes he has seen at the company since it opened its South Eisenhower Avenue location in 1978. The
company is holding a celebration on Saturday for its 40th anniversary.
CHRIS ZOELLER The Globe Gazette
MASON CITY | A lot of things have changed in the 40 years since SmithfieldFoods opened in Mason City.
The products, the technology and even the name.
And Jacque Huesman, Chuck Bennett and Tim Meyer, as well as many otherlongtime employees, have seen much of it.
9/24/2018 Inconspiguous plant: Mason City meat processor celebrates 40 years at site (with photos) | Mason City & North Iowa | globegazette.com
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“There’s been a lot of changes,” said Bennett, a Smithfield controller who’s beenwith the company for 37 years.
This year, Smithfield Foods, a meat processing plant that employs nearly 300North Iowans, is celebrating its 40th anniversary at its location on SouthEisenhower Avenue in Mason City.
The company will host an anniversary celebration Saturday at the North IowaEvents Center, 3700 Fourth St. S.W., in Mason City. Local retired employees ofthe facility are invited to attend from 2:15 to 4 p.m. for refreshments andsocializing.
“There’s been so many employees over the 40 years who have truly contributed tothe success of this facility,” said Huesman, a human resources manager who’sworked for the company for more than 39 years.
9/24/2018 Inconspiguous plant: Mason City meat processor celebrates 40 years at site (with photos) | Mason City & North Iowa | globegazette.com
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Smithfield, which was owned by ConAgra Foods until 2006, produces lunchmeat, smoked hams, cook-in-water deli hams and turkey. It’s one of eightcompany facilities in Iowa.
ConAgra Foods acquired the plant – then known as Armour – in 1983 fromGreyhound Corp.
Greyhound Corp. reopened Armour Food Co. on South Eisenhower Avenue inMason City in 1978 — about three years after the Armour plant on the North Endclosed.
The Armour plant was opened as Jacob E. Decker & Sons Meat Packing Co. in1901.
BUY NOWJacque Huesman, left, and Chuck Bennett share a laugh as they talk about working for Smith�eld Foods for
nearly as long as the company has been in Mason City since it opened its South Eisenhower Avenue location in
1978. The company is holding a celebration on Saturday for its 40th anniversary.
CHRIS ZOELLER The Globe Gazette
9/24/2018 Inconspiguous plant: Mason City meat processor celebrates 40 years at site (with photos) | Mason City & North Iowa | globegazette.com
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In 1935, the Deckers sold the multi-story plant to Armour, and it remained thehub of the North End community for many years, employing more than 1,000until it closed in 1975.
“We’ve had a presence in Mason City for well over 100 years,” Huesman said.
Meat processing has rich Mason City history
Earlier this week, Huesman, Bennett and Meyer reflected on their years at theplant.
Meyer, who has been at the plant for 39 years and is currently an accountingspecialist, said he started working at Armour Food Co. right after graduating fromNorth Iowa Area Community College.
“I came in, in my blue jeans and shirt and interviewed,” he said. “It went well,and I got a call that night that they wanted to hire me.”
Meyer started in the mailroom.
BUY NOWMason City Smith�eld
9/24/2018 Inconspiguous plant: Mason City meat processor celebrates 40 years at site (with photos) | Mason City & North Iowa | globegazette.com
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“That was probably the position that was the greatest because you got to seeeverything,” he said. “You interacted with just about everybody.”
Meyer said the people, the challenges and the opportunities have kept him atSmithfield.
“It’s never boring,” he said. “You don’t have to look for anything to do.”
The mailroom was also Bennett’s first job out of business school.
He started as a fill-in for the mail clerk and became the full-time clerk a fewmonths later.
“I’ve been here ever since,” Bennett said.
• Photos: Mason City in its heyday
He credits it to the people and the opportunities.
“It’s just a good place to work,” Bennett said. “People are friendly. I like MasonCity.”
Huesman, who was looking to relocate to Mason City with her husband, appliedto Armour to be a switchboard specialist, a job that no longer exists today.
Over the years, she worked her way up through the company’s personnel andpayroll department to manager.
Huesman said the “consistent income,” “great benefits,” “the workingrelationships” and “great bosses” are what’s kept her at the plant for nearly 40years.
CHRIS ZOELLER, The Globe Gazette
9/24/2018 Inconspiguous plant: Mason City meat processor celebrates 40 years at site (with photos) | Mason City & North Iowa | globegazette.com
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“That’s always meant a lot,” she said.
• The lost buildings of Mason City
Bennett said the products have also changed over the years. When he started atthe company, the plant produced hot dogs, bacon and dry sausage, and now, thoseare gone.
“Ham’s the big thing now and lunch meat,” he said.
Huesman said in her job, she’s seen a change in Smithfield’s workforcedemographics.
“We have folks from different countries, different cultures, different traditions andyou know, I got to tell you, we’ve all learned from one another,” she said. “It’s apretty beautiful thing.”
Bennett agreed.
“There’s a lot of friendly, hardworking people here,” he said.
In addition to the time Smithfield employees give at the plant, many alsovolunteer throughout the community.
Within the past four years, Smithfield employees have volunteered nearly 80hours at the Community Kitchen of North Iowa preparing meals, the SalvationArmy Adopt-A-Kettle program and supported the Iowa State Envirothon
9/24/2018 Inconspiguous plant: Mason City meat processor celebrates 40 years at site (with photos) | Mason City & North Iowa | globegazette.com
https://globegazette.com/news/local/inconspiguous-plant-mason-city-meat-processor-celebrates-years-at-site/article_56acdd0b-3ff6-5287-847c-16eedb9a53c9.html#17 8/27
Competition, an annual academic challenge that engages 50,000 high-schoolers inreal-world environmental problem-solving across the country, according to thecompany.
“We’re pretty community-minded,” Huesman said of the company and itsemployees.
The company has donated more than 1.5 million servings of protein to local foodbanks, hunger-relief organizations and community groups to help food insecurepeople.
In Mason City, Smithfield donates hams to the popular community Thanksgivingdinner. Hams are also distributed to needy families around Christmas through apartnership with the North Iowa Youth Center. Freewill donations for the hamsadmit children to the youth center whose families can't afford the daily or yearlymembership fee.
Photos: Meat packing in Mason City
Armour
9/24/2018 Inconspiguous plant: Mason City meat processor celebrates 40 years at site (with photos) | Mason City & North Iowa | globegazette.com
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BUY NOWPam Carney and Lee Romig were the of�cial representatives for Armour Hotdogs in 1957. They
appeared on tv and in the paper. In the background is the old Jacob E Decker & Son plant. Pam and Lee
are sitting on "Decker Dam" for this photo. (Submitted photo by/Lee Romig)
msc
DeckerPlant
9/24/2018 Inconspiguous plant: Mason City meat processor celebrates 40 years at site (with photos) | Mason City & North Iowa | globegazette.com
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BUY NOWFile Photo From Art Fishbeck Historical Collection Decker Plant..1914..Mason City.
msc
Deckers
9/24/2018 Inconspiguous plant: Mason City meat processor celebrates 40 years at site (with photos) | Mason City & North Iowa | globegazette.com
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BUY NOWFile Photo From Art Fishbeck Historical Collection Decker Plant.. May,1967...Mason City,Iowa
Musser
Deckers (Armours).jpg
9/24/2018 Inconspiguous plant: Mason City meat processor celebrates 40 years at site (with photos) | Mason City & North Iowa | globegazette.com
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BUY NOWGlobe Gazette �le photo. Last day of Decker's packing plant (Armours) at the 15th St. NE Mason City
location. 8/14/1975.
9/24/2018 Inconspiguous plant: Mason City meat processor celebrates 40 years at site (with photos) | Mason City & North Iowa | globegazette.com
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BUY NOW
msc
Deckers last day.jpg
Globe Gazette �le photo. Last day of Decker's (Armour's) packing plant at the 15th St. NE location in
Mason City. 8/14/1975.
msc
History Book Scan 15
9/24/2018 Inconspiguous plant: Mason City meat processor celebrates 40 years at site (with photos) | Mason City & North Iowa | globegazette.com
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9/24/2018 Inconspiguous plant: Mason City meat processor celebrates 40 years at site (with photos) | Mason City & North Iowa | globegazette.com
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BUY NOWHistory Book Scan 15-- Deckers Bacon
msc
Of�ce
9/24/2018 Inconspiguous plant: Mason City meat processor celebrates 40 years at site (with photos) | Mason City & North Iowa | globegazette.com
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BUY NOWJEFF HEINZ/Former Decker's of�ce. 15th NE and N. Pennsylvania Ave. Mason City.
Jeff Heinz
Bier,Sue
9/24/2018 Inconspiguous plant: Mason City meat processor celebrates 40 years at site (with photos) | Mason City & North Iowa | globegazette.com
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BUY NOWSubmitted photo by/Sue Bier Over the Top Cafe, on the corner of Delaware. Photo taken in the early
'50s. Sue and her sisters, Becky and Sally, loved to go there for chili dogs and orange pop. It was always a
popular place for Deckers employees to go and have a chili dog on a friday night.
msc
Decker
9/24/2018 Inconspiguous plant: Mason City meat processor celebrates 40 years at site (with photos) | Mason City & North Iowa | globegazette.com
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BUY NOWFile Photo From Art Fishbeck Historical Collection Decker Meat Packing Plant. Sitting Jay Decker Back
Row (L) Son, Dudley Decker next to him Milton Decker (Relative), far right Son, J. Emerson Decker
Mason City Globe Gazette
DECKER AERIAL
9/24/2018 Inconspiguous plant: Mason City meat processor celebrates 40 years at site (with photos) | Mason City & North Iowa | globegazette.com
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BUY NOWMusser photo, 5/15/67. Decker aerial. 629967MPA0515
msc
Decker Plant1
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BUY NOWFile Photo From Art Fishbeck Historical Collection Decker Meat Packing Plant (late 40's early 50's)
Mason City Globe Gazette
Decker Plant2
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BUY NOWFile Photo From Art Fishbeck Historical Collection Decker Meat Packing Plant 1900
Mason City Globe Gazette
Decker,JE
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BUY NOW
Jacob E. Decker
msc
Decker's
Looking Back Mason City/S. Lock 5351, 4/25/39, showing 13th St. bridge, waterplant, Decker's packing.
Looking Back.
msc
Decker1
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BUY NOWFile Photo From Art Fishbeck Historical Collection Decker Meat Packing Plant
Mason City Globe Gazette
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BUY NOW
Decker2
File Photo From Art Fishbeck Historical Collection Decker Meat Packing Plant-1906
Mason City Globe Gazette
decker2
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Tags Processing Plant Work Food Commerce Company Ham Chuck Bennett Employee Tim Meyer Smith�eld
Ashley StewartReporter
BUY NOWKathy Frank points to a picture of her grandfather who worked for Decker's in the early 1900's.
Mason City Globe Gazette
Reach Reporter Ashley Stewart at 641-421-0533. Follow her on Twitter at GGastewart.
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