GALESBURG, Ill. — Dozens of manufacturing jobs are set to come to Galesburg.
Galesburg City Council voted in favor of a development agreement with Thrushwood Farms Quality Meats, which is a subsidiary of Western Smokehouse Partners. The planned expansion is projected to bring 150-180 manufacturing jobs to Galesburg and generate $50 million in investment, according to city and company officials.
Not only will the development bring more jobs to the area, but it will also breathe new life into the old Maytag facility on Monmouth Boulevard. Maytag left Galesburg in September of 2004.
"Anytime you're growing jobs rather than reducing jobs, you know the ripple effects are substantial," City Manager Eric Hanson said in a press release. "In this case, from what I remember in their data when they were a meat processing company, and they had a retail business, they had 11 employees in 2008. This will move them to 350-400 so that's pretty substantial."
President of Knox County Area Partnership Ken Springer said the agreement will increase productivity overall.
"The project we're expected to invest between $40 million to $50 million and expecting to see 150-180 new jobs," Springer said.
Public reaction in Galesburg to the potential development has been positive.
"When you're talking about new jobs in a community, those are always positive things and yeah, I think the community is reacting appropriately. There's a lot of history in that old building so seeing it put to use is a great thing," Springer said.
In addition, the City agreed to a $1 million incentive for Western Smokehouse Partners to expand in Galesburg. $500,000 will be given when the company moves into the old Maytag facility and makes improvements to the building, according to city records. The second payment will be given at the end of 2026 if Western Smokehouse Partners generates roughly $45-50 million in investment and 150-180 jobs, as promised.
Hanson said he expects operations to begin toward the end of 2025 now that the agreement has city council approval.