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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Greeley Colorado Tribune "Sells" Citizens Short with Editorial

In my personal view this editorial on JBS Swift removes any doubt the lack of visionary leadership and responsibility of some of Greeley's government and business community. Having a positive opinion of JBS Swift is fine. But for a paper to put out a commentary without acknowledging the obvious historical problems and long term downsides to this company is irresponsible. Greeley may as well hire the Dallas Cheerleaders to serve as journalists in this community.

Truly I am sorry to come to this conclusion. I kept hearing the negatives but was trying to be understanding of the political pressures faced and the overwork local papers and their staffers face in modern times. But I simply shake my head after reading this piece and wonder how these people look in the mirror every morning and face their neighbors.

Time for a new vision in city government, (although the city manager is just doing his job to pump positive), a new strategic vision for the economic development groups, and a new news venue.

I have said I would not post a comment on the Greeley Tribune again and I will stand by that statement. This is just garbage politics. Plain and simple garbage politics.

Some of my other articles on the topic. Additional articles can be found in the archives on this page:
Is Walter Cronkite's Ghost Living in Greeley Colorado?
Greeley Tribune's Letter to Jane Paudaux
JBS Swift Sinks Greeley's Goodship Lollipop

The creepy editorial...
JBS gives Greeley economy a boost | Greeley Tribune
Several years ago, Greeley's leaders fought hard to keep the headquarters of the former Swift & Co. meatpacking company in town. The company was rumored to be considering a move to another community for its corporate headquarters, now at Promontory.

The efforts of Greeley's elected officials to keep the company headquarters in town paid off then, and they appear to have paid off again last week.

The new owners of the company, JBS USA, announced on consecutive days last week two moves that could benefit Greeley:

»The Brazilian owners of JBS are planning a $2 billion public offering, which they hope will allow the company to expand into the “case-ready” beef market.

» JBS announced that up to 30 corporate jobs are moving from Green Bay, Wis., to Greeley. The employees are executives in the former Smithfield Beef Group, which was purchased by JBS last year.

If there was any doubt about JBS USA's commitment to grow and expand, or any doubt about the company's commitment to its corporate headquarters in Greeley, those doubts seemingly were eliminated with the announcements last week.

“This is very good news,” Greeley city manager Roy Otto said, adding that it “demonstrates the emphasis JBS has for Greeley.”

Added Larry Burkhardt, president of Upstate Colorado Economic Development: “I'm encouraged to see that kind of consolidation that puts a focus on their headquarters here.”

Although the number of jobs coming from Green Bay is not huge, high-paying corporate jobs are always welcome in Greeley.

The public offering, meanwhile, is likely to make a big splash in the industry.

JBS hopes to use the money to change the way it distributes some of its beef in the next five years. It would create in-house cutting rooms to create in the industry what is known as case-ready beef. The meat would leave the plant in cuts that are ready to be placed directly on store shelves. Now, the meat leaves packing plants in bigger cuts that must be prepared for the shelf by grocery store meatcutters.

JBS has been an aggressive company and employer since it bought the former Swift & Co. plant two years ago. It added a second shift to the Greeley plant, hiring 1,100 more workers, and it has acquired other beef companies (Smithfield, for example, and another in Australia) along with feedlots to expand its dominance in the U.S. and world beef markets


Comments :

2 comments to “Greeley Colorado Tribune "Sells" Citizens Short with Editorial”

mowdy5gs said...
on 

Its dominance is it? Well it seem's they backed off that major purchase plan due to out cry of monopolization in the beef industry. So what is the line to be when drawn as the mark pertain's to simply market dominance? Or the other side of monopolization?

Foreign market dominance locally [in America as a whole] seem's to be the trend soon at hand. Even Uranium in this country is dominated by the Canadian's as far as I know. Mineral right's and such for Gold are prodominantly foriegn based now with Canada ahead at that chart as well.

Is America simply on the ropes or can it be that Americans have simply over and out played there financial hand's?

Magpie said...
on 

I've had this debate a few times with friends and there are points on all sides. Capitalism appears to be a linear beast in that it seems to drive toward consolidation and concentration of market forces--but not all industries are susceptible to it in my view point. Regardless though it is government's job to be effective and put the regulators into the system through accountable checks and balances. That can make capitalism more sustainable. But in my view pseudo-arm-chair economists start squealing about free market mentality every time checks and balances come up to bat in Congress. The politicians go belly-up the minute someone sticks a bumpersticker on a chair that says socialism. It is bizarre. It is like the most people don't understand that labels are just lick and stick words of publicists. What matters is how everything works. So I guess, the problem is, stupidity and ignorance on the general public's part. Educational system failures.

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