OMAHA, Neb. — Scoular’s freeze-dried pet food ingredient manufacturing arm was officially named Petsource by Scoular on Dec. 10, as a $50 million processing facility in Seward is being constructed.

The ingredient manufacturer announced plans for the facility in March 2019, broke ground in August and expects to complete the project by fall 2020. Gray is the design and construction firm tasked with engineering, architecting and building the Seward plant.

According to Scoular, Petsource will develop, procure, produce and package the high-protein, freeze-dried pet food ingredients it produces at the Seward facility.

“The name ‘Petsource’ signifies that we are redefining what start-to-finish looks like in pet food ingredient manufacturing,” said Amy Patterson, general manager of Petsource. “Petsource will be a one-stop shop for unparalleled levels of safety, quality and reliability across the freeze-dried pet food supply chain.”

Scoular has selected Jon Heussner as the director of operations of its new Seward plant. Heussner offers experience in operational leadership, project management and engineering from former roles with Dean Foods, most recently, as well as Tyson Foods, Conagra Brands and Hain Celestial Seasonings.

“As a lifelong pet owner with years of supply chain experience, it is a privilege to work with the great team assembled by Petsource to manufacture safe and high-quality products,” Heussner commented.

The Seward plant is expected to create 100 new jobs in the area. The company said hiring will likely begin in spring 2020.

Stay up to date on news about the pet food processing industry on our News page.