Last year’s announcement of a massive beef processing facility coming to Warren County was one of the biggest pieces of economic news that this area has ever had. The accomplishment of bringing such a large employer to Warren County was monumental, historic — and, according to economic development agent Steve Etcher, repeatable.

Etcher, the business development director for the Greater Warren County Economic Development Council (GWCEDC), delivered an annual update for the Warrenton Chamber of Commerce on Jan. 9. He said the beef plant currently under construction near Foristell for producer American Foods Group is the kind of investment that GWCEDC hopes to continue drawing to the area.

The American Foods Group (AFG) plant will be a 775,000-square-foot facility, costing an estimated $800 million and employing more than 1,300 people. Current estimates for employee pay are between $60,000 and $100,000 per year, Etcher said.

But more than that, Etcher said AFG is also breaking a path for other large manufacturing, logistics and agri-business employers to come to Warren County, by spurring outside investments in public infrastructure.

“We’ll be able to leverage a lot of private, state, and federal funds to improve our community because of this project,” Etcher said. For example, the public water district that serves the area is building a new wastewater treatment plant capable of processing 4 million gallons per day.

“That wastewater treatment plant will cost almost $100 million, and it will have about three times the capacity that the city of Warrenton entirely will need,” Etcher said. “That will accommodate the treatment of wastewater from the American Foods Group plant, but it will also support future development along the I-70 corridor between Foristell and Wright City.”

Large road projects around the AFG site are also receiving state funding, Etcher said, which will open up more land for industrial development.

Using these sorts of infrastructure developments to draw in manufacturers is hugely important for the local economy, Etcher added. By making products that get sold outside the area, those businesses are bringing new money into Warren County that increases employment and boosts wages, he explained.

For that reason, he said securing continued investments in infrastructure and having more land ready for industrial development are key future goals for economic development.

“When you think about economic development ... you don’t think about the sewer system it’s going to take to support that. You don’t think about, ‘Is there electricity available,’” Etcher commented. “We’re working very closely with our utilities to make sure that infrastructure is there.”

As far as real estate for future developments, Etcher said GWCEDC is working with and recruiting property owners in order to provide attractive properties for industrial-scale operations. Each success takes a prime piece of land off the table, so it’s a continuous effort.

“Economic development is a long-term strategy. It’s not something where ... you can achieve immediate results,” Etcher said. “It takes years, sometimes decades, to achieve the results you’re looking for.”