Fair Oaks Foods broke ground last month on a fully-cooked bacon facility in Davenport, Iowa. The $134 million investment includes a 150,000-square-foot facility in the Eastern Iowa Industrial Center and will create an estimated 247 new full-time jobs. The plant is expected to be operational in early 2024.
 
 The Austin Company is serving as the design-builder for the project. Austin Consulting, an arm of The Austin Company, assisted Fair Oaks Foods with site location evaluation for the project. Austin, established more than 140 years ago, has a long history of building for the food and beverage industry.
 
 "We value our role in this important investment made by a great company in a vibrant and progressive city. We are looking forward to a fruitful partnership that will deliver a successful project to all stakeholders," said Mike Pierce, Austin president and CEO.
 
Fair Oaks Foods, headquartered in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, is a family-owned meat processing company and the 11^th largest Black-owned business in the U.S. Founded in 1985, it produces and supplies a variety of protein products, including bacon, meatballs, pork, and turkey sausage to food service, national grocery stores, and quick-serve restaurants globally. The Davenport facility will expand the company's current capabilities and produce fully cooked bacon.