Food Processing Technology Building Nears Completion
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Georgia Tech is now entering the final construction stages of its new Food Processing Technology Building. The first of its kind at the university, the $9.4 million facility will provide a world-class research center for collaborative food processing technology development, academic research, and public interaction.
The building is being constructed in two phases. Phase I, which is scheduled for completion this August, will house 35,000 square feet of laboratory and office space for research and development in the areas of automation technology, information technology, and environmental systems. A 48-seat auditorium and meeting facilities are also included as well as a lower lobby outfitted with interactive computer kiosk systems to entertain and inform school and visitor groups about the growing role of technology in the poultry and food processing industries. Phase II, to be built at a later date, will house 10,000 square feet of additional laboratory and office space for human factors, food safety, and bioprocessing research.
Funding for Phase I, totaled at approximately $7.3 million, was received from the state of Georgia, the proceeds of a significant private donation to the university, and donations from the following 16 poultry and allied industry companies:
Yates Heads Construction EffortHeadquartered in Philadelphia, Mississippi, W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Company has been family-owned and operated since its founding in 1963. Yates offers a total line of construction services from preliminary feasibility studies to completed facilities. The companyÕs principal business is engineering and construction of industrial, manufacturing, distribution, forest products, commercial, and institutional construction projects.A leader in the construction industry, Yates has consistently been ranked in the top 100 contractors in the nation by Engineering News-Record, and has received numerous ABC (Associated Builders and Contractors) Merit Awards for excellence in construction.The company employs a workforce of more than 2,000 employees and operates branch offices in Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Texas.The construction of the Food Processing Technology Building is Yates first building project on the Georgia Tech campus. |
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Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
American Proteins, Inc.
BOC-Thinkage
Cagle’s Inc.
Claxton Poultry Farms, Inc.
ConAgra Foods Inc.
Crider Poultry, Inc.
Cryovac, Sealed Air Corporation
FMC Corporation
Gold Kist Inc.
Mar-Jac Poultry, Inc.
Meyn Poultry Processing LLC
Seaboard Farms, Inc. (now part of ConAgra)
Stork Gamco Inc.
Tyson Foods, Inc.
Wayne Farms LLC
The remaining $2.1 million needed for construction and completion of Phase II is now part of an ongoing fund-raising campaign. Inquiries regarding the campaign can be directed to J. Craig Wyvill, chief of Georgia Tech’s Food Processing Technology Division, at (404) 894-3412 or email craig.wyvill@gtri.gatech.edu.