Despite hurdles over the past year, the new owner of Hartley's old packing plant has his eyes set on a spring ribbon cutting.

Stephane Comtois, owner of Hartley Cold Services, said the business is planning to be operational by May. He had hoped to be open by now, but various issues pushed the schedule back in 2023.

Comtois, whose business background is in the import/export business, was eager to open the doors in 2024.

"We made a few mistakes early on in the process and now we're correcting them," he said. "I'm dealing with stuff I've never dealt with before. It's all about having the right people around me."

Comtois, who owns businesses in Canada, Chicago and Florida, bought the old Beef Specialists of Iowa plant in the summer of 2022. To date, 12,300 square feet have been added to the original 30,000 square foot plant, and the interior front office space has been completely redone. Exterior upgrades to the front of the building were also completed over the past year.

Once open, Hartley Cold Service's industrial freezer will facilitate a meat defrosting and packing service capable of housing 1,900 pallets of product on its floor-to-ceiling racks. Comtois explained one of the freezers wasn't getting cold enough during initial test runs, which added to delays.

"Our receiving docks, lights, hydraulics, computer system and flooring – everything is ready," said Comtois. "We just need to get the HVAC where it needs to be."

Other pre-opening issues revolved around the plant's industrial fryer, which will be used for cooking various food items. Comtois explained the original fryer he purchased was too large for what the business had planned and would require 12 workers across two shifts to man it.

"It was capable of doing 6,000 pounds of chicken per hour, which is a bit too big for us. We don't have the labor to do two shifts," he said. "We're going to change our plans around that with a smaller cooker and fryer that's going to be a bit more user-friendly for us."

SENTINEL-NEWS FILE PHOTO

Stephane Comtois, owner of Hartley Cold Services.

Once the ribbon is cut at Hartley Cold Services, more than $3 million will have been invested into the facility. Comtois expected the plant to employ 12 people full time when it's fully operational.

"It hasn't exactly been an easy process, but we're moving along," Comtois said.