The financial package is settled, the reconfiguring of the building has begun.
Having outgrown the only facility the business has known since a 1970 founding by Howard Staber, Sioux City meat distributor Staber Meats is moving from 200 Pearl St. to a 15,000-square-foot building at 930 Clark St.
Howard Staber"s sons, Dave and Jim Staber, purchased the business in 2000.
Jim Staber said the brothers "are extremely excited, we are looking forward to the move."
After 37 years on Pearl Street and with the 100-year-old building "wearing out" and requiring more maintenance over the three floors, the Clark site was a move that needed to be pursued, Jim Staber said. Additionally, the business that has patrons in a 125-mile radius, was experiencing growth and "just got too cramped for the business we have," he said.
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About half of Staber Meats sales are to restaurants and grocery stores serving Hispanic shoppers, which is a hugely growing demographic in Siouxland, Staber said. Therefore, the new site will have a tortilla processing room.
The Clark facility has been remodeled for a few months, and if all goes well, "we are looking at an April 1 move-in date," Staber said. Key duties have been getting a new roof and placing a 3,000-square-foot freezer in the site.
Staber said "we are happy to stay in Sioux City," something that was aided by state and local government financing. The firm had 13 employees at year-end, and pledged to add 11 employees, two of whom have already started for Staber Meats. The employees will probably be added by the end of 2008, he said.
Last November, the Sioux City City Council endorsed plans to help Staber Meats undertake the $700,400 expansion project.
The proposed project costs are $500,000 to remodel the building on Clark Street and $240,000 for machinery and equipment. The Iowa Economic Development Board in December 2006 awarded $50,000 to Staber Meats, given that the project is expected to create 11 jobs with an average wage of $18.28 per hour.
The city council in February approved an economic development loan agreement between the city and Staber Meats for $50,000 to help the company move and add the employees. City economic development director Marty Dougherty said $25,000 of the city"s loan would be forgivable if the company expanded as it proposes, with the remaining half being loaned at a low interest rate.
Additionally, the city submitted an application to the Iowa Department of Economic Development for the Targeted Jobs Withholding Tax Credit Program. In November, Sioux City was named a pilot city to try out the program.
The business will receive a credit of 3 percent of the gross wages paid to workers holding targeted jobs. Based on employee numbers and wages provided by Staber, Dougherty estimated $274,700 will be received by the company over the 10-year life of the agreement; and city councilmen described pleasure in how the program will work.
