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May 19, 2016

Federal grants key to future growth at poultry processor

The co-owner of the Gardiner-based Common Wealth Poultry has asked the city to secure funds through the Community Development Block Grant program for workforce training and development for current and prospective employees at the state’s only USDA-inspected poultry processor.

Ryan Wilson told the Portland Press Herald that the rapid growth of the company from an initial processing run of 1,000 birds in a week to a seasonal peak of 6,000 during the summer has led to the need for training workers beyond entry-level positions.

“I’ve had to turn down farmers who want to bring their birds here and sell [them] under their own labels,” Wilson told the Press Herald. “I can’t accommodate more people because I don’t have enough trained employees.”

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