CARTHAGE, Mo. — Plans for a $316 million cheese manufacturing plant on Hazel Avenue, announced in November 2024 in Carthage, have been put on hold, with the company citing “general uncertain economic conditions.”
Carthage Economic Development Corporation CEO Jeff Meredith read an email from Wisconsin-based Schreiber Foods at Tuesday’s regular Carthage City Council meeting announcing the company was “indefinitely pausing its Carthage production facility project.”
“Schreiber wishes this weren’t the case, but general uncertain economic conditions are driving this decision,” the email said. “Schreiber highly values its presence in Southwest Missouri, its excellent workforce and its relationships with the local communities, including its relationships with you and the city of Carthage. Schreiber will keep all it options open with hopes to revisit this or a similar project on the site as soon as practical.”
Meridith said the delay is bad news but he believes the city is “well positioned when they decide they want to do an expansion in the future, that we would be top of that list, but that’s purely speculative.”
Crews have been working between Schreiber’s distribution center and Hazel Avenue for several weeks preparing ground for construction.
Schreiber also said its decision to put the project on hold came after a “thorough evaluation of current economic conditions and their impact on the project.”
“We’re disappointed to announce this pause, but it’s necessary given the current situation,” Ron Dunford, president and CEO of Schreiber Foods, said in a statement Wednesday. “We remain committed to the Carthage community and will continue to support our existing operations and partners (employees). While this pause is unfortunate, it will not keep us from continuing to deliver exceptional-quality food to our customers and being an essential ingredient in their success.”
Schreiber has been in the Carthage community since 1950, currently employing more than 1,300 people across its existing operations.
The city voted in November 2024 to provide property tax abatements for the project.
At the time of Schreiber’s announcement plans, the company was still considering whether to build a smaller 168,000-square-foot plant or the larger 253,000-square-foot plant.
Schreiber said in January it had decided to go with the larger plant that would add 250 jobs to the local economy.
The larger facility was eligible under Missouri’s Enhanced Enterprise Zone rules for an eight-year 100% property tax abatement because it was employing more than 250 people at wages of about $23 an hour, which is above the average wage in Jasper County.