Greensville ‘bouncing back’ after Boar’s Head plant closure

Nearly three months after Boar’s Head shut down its Jarratt plant, North Carolina-based Carolina Structural Systems announced Nov. 25 that it would spend $5.5 million to build a manufacturing site for custom trusses and similar products in Greensville County, adding 58 jobs.

The county’s economic development director, Natalie Slate, calls the announcement a good start as Greensville aims for new opportunities after Boar’s Head shuttered the deli meat factory Sept. 13, 2024, amid a listeria outbreak that killed 10 people and sickened dozens more.

“This is the beginning of more announcements to come that Greensville County is bouncing back,” says Slate, declining to elaborate on pending deals.

Boar’s Head laid off 600 workers in Jarratt, according to a notice filed with the Virginia Employment Commission, but Slate says that number is likely closer to about 400; some workers were offered positions at the company’s Petersburg plant, and others were kept in Jarratt to help with decommissioning.

Greensville and Emporia, a small city surrounded by the county, were the hardest hit by the loss, totaling around 225 workers, Slate says, and the county stands to lose about $1 million annually in sewer and water fees annually.

Boar’s Head did not respond to requests for comment.

The closure coincided with an already planned job fair in Emporia in October 2024 that drew around 90 employers. A little over 400 job seekers attended, including 33 from Boar’s Head, according to survey results.

Tabitha Taylor, executive director of Virginia Career Works’ Crater Region, a federally funded state career services and workforce training organization, says data on laid-off Boar’s Head workers who have found employment won’t be available until around March. Taylor noted that within an hour of the company’s closure announcement, she began receiving calls from employers. Smithfield Foods, about 60 miles away from Jarratt in Isle of Wight County, told her they had more than 70 openings.

“There’s not a lack of work available,” says Taylor, though job seekers may need to commute farther for similar wages.

The region’s workforce was one factor in Carolina Structural Systems’ decision to expand to Greensville, says General Manager Dave Green, citing the county’s proximity to major interstates and Richmond. Slate says she’s standing by to help the company with hiring.

“We’ll be glad to do a mini job fair or offer our building for him to be able to interview folks,” she says.