Stellar Completes Design and Construction of $22 Million Chicken Hatchery Project for Bell & Evans

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (September 7, 2017) — Stellar, a fully integrated firm focused on design, engineering, construction and mechanical services worldwide, has completed a $22 million design-build project for premium poultry processor Bell & Evans in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania.

The 120,000 square-foot chicken hatchery began startup operations in August and is the first of its kind in the United States. The facility incorporates design and technologies that prioritize Bell & Evans’ commitment to humane animal treatment and antibiotic-free products. Unlike traditional hatcheries that can deprive hatchlings of light, food and water for up to three days, the Bell & Evans facility is designed to provide those basic needs to chicks immediately after hatching.

Stellar coordinated with Dutch equipment manufacturer HatchTech, which supplied all the state-of-the-art technology in the facility. This involved collaborating with HatchTech to properly design the building shell, facility layout and utilities to accommodate the specialty equipment.

“Working with a European vendor required considerable planning from the first stage of this project, but our team was able to navigate the intricacies of the process to deliver exactly what our client wanted,” said Scott Mark, Divisional Vice President, Food Group. “This is truly a cutting-edge hatchery unlike any other in the country, and we were honored to work with Bell & Evans to help bring it to life.”

The hatchery’s grand opening ceremony was held on June 22, and featured special remarks by government officials as well as tours of the facility.

This is the second design-build project Stellar has performed for Bell & Evans. The packaging, storage and frozen processing facility Stellar built for the poultry processor last year was recognized as Food Engineering magazine’s December 2016 “Fabulous Food Plant.”

About Stellar

Stellar is a fully integrated design, engineering, construction and mechanical services firm that provides the industry’s most comprehensive range of self-performed services, including planning, design, preconstruction, construction, refrigeration, mechanical and utility, building envelope, and total operations and maintenance services. More than 650 Stellar employees worldwide create award-winning food processing plants, refrigerated warehouses, distribution centers, commercial buildings and military facilities. In addition to its Jacksonville, Florida, headquarters and its Western Region office in Modesto, California, Stellar operates nearly 50 support locations and offices throughout the United States and in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, China and Puerto Rico. The company also serves Central and South America, Europe and India. For more information, visit www.stellar.net.