Food Manufacturer Creating 226 Jobs With Second Tennessee Plant

Williams Sausage Company will invest about $37 million to expand with a second facility in Union City, TN.

Williams Sausage Company, Inc. will build a second plant in Union City, TN. The longtime Tennessee food manufacturer’s expansion will create 226 new jobs in Obion County over the next five years.

Union City TN
Photo: TNECD

“Williams Sausage Company and the Williams family are excited about expanding in our hometown,” said Roger Williams, CEO of Williams Sausage. “The support we have received from the State of Tennessee, Union City, and Obion County in this endeavor has been overwhelming and will help propel our business to a new level. We are extremely thankful for our existing team members and customers, who have made our business such a success that we need to build this new facility.”

Founded in 1958 by Harold and Hazel Williams, Williams Sausage produces fresh sausage, fully cooked sausage, bacon, sandwiches and other food products for wholesale to retail grocers, restaurants, whole grocery warehouses and food distributors. Williams Sausage brands are now sold in more than 4,000 retail outlets in 20 states. Williams Sausage remains a family-owned business managed by the founders’ sons, David and Roger Williams.

The company’s Union City plant has undergone several expansions, most recently in 2012. With its existing Union City plant operating at near capacity, Williams Sausage will invest about $37 million to construct an approximately 180,000-square-foot facility in Obion County, which will include a cold storage distribution center, truck maintenance operations, corporate offices and a new sandwich processing line.

“For generations, Tennessee has made some of the best-known and most-respected food brands in the world. Williams Sausage Company is part of this strong legacy and I’m pleased it has decided to build a second plant in Union City,” said Gov. Bill Haslam. “This major expansion by Williams Sausage will create hundreds of new jobs for Obion County residents and bring us closer to our goal of making Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.”

“In the last six years, the food and beverage industry has poured $2 billion worth of investment into Tennessee alongside more than 6,500 new job commitments,” said Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd. “The food manufacturing industry now employs more than 33,500 Tennesseans. When a homegrown business like Williams Sausage plans to further invest in Tennessee, it’s a strong affirmation of our state’s high-skilled workforce and business-friendly environment.”

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