Carl Buddig to open new facility outside Chicago this spring

MONTGOMERY, Ill. (AP) - Carl Buddig & Co. says it has purchased the former Butterball facility in Montgomery outside Chicago that has been vacant since July.

Officials with the Homewood-based lunch meat and specialty meat company say they will create 250 to 300 new jobs in the coming year. Production at the 280,000-square-foot facility will start this spring and it will be Carl Buddig's fourth manufacturing site in the state. It expands the company's Illinois workforce to more than 1,800 employees.

CEO Bob Buddig says it's been a company priority to expand manufacturing to relieve pressure from current facilities and add capacity to address growing demand.

Company officials say they've posted job openings online. They say they believe there may be trained workers living in the area because the facility previously was a meat processing plant.