Arkansas City, Kansas-based Creekstone Farms has broken ground on a 20,000-square foot learning center, adjacent to its headquarters at 604 Goff Industrial Park Road.
The meat supplier, which employs about 1,200 people, estimates the daycare will accommodate more than 100 children when it opens this fall.
The facility, which will cost an estimated $3.5 million to construct, sits on 3.5 acres and will be available for children of its employees. Creekstone Farms will cover all renovation costs to establish the learning center, while employees will pay a monthly fee to utilize its services.
The site is part of a company-wide commitment to support employees with additional amenities and benefits, some of which include increasing wages 33 percent over the last three years, offering updated employee break areas and lunchrooms and expanding on-site hot food service.
“Creekstone Farms Premium Beef sees the value in growing together with the local community,” said Kei Kada, Creekstone Farms’ president and CEO. “We hope this new project will be a great success and become an example of best solutions for the community.”
The learning center will be a subsidiary of Creekstone Farms but will operate as a separate entity under the name Walnut Valley Learning Center. Company officials are planning to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony when the facility opens its doors. Wichita-based construction company Hutton partnered with the company for all phases of the project using its “design-build” model, and the town of Arkansas City is set to provide a tax rebate.
The facility is part of continued efforts to support the Arkansas City community. In early February, Creekstone Farms was named “2022 Business of the Year” by the local chamber of commerce.
Creekstone Farms Premium Beef is USDA-certified by the Agricultural Marketing Service and supplies many of the nation’s grocers and restaurants with a variety of meat products, including premium black Angus beef, all-natural heritage Duroc pork and value-added products.
For more information, visit creekstonefarms.com/about-us.
