Gray completed the world’s first LEED-certified beef harvest facility for America’s Heartland Packing, an American Foods Group (AFG) company.

This 800,000-sq.-ft. facility is designed to process up to 2,400 head of cattle per day. From early concept through design and construction, Gray partnered with AFG to bring this vision to life, aligning sustainability goals with the facility and market needs.

“This project exemplifies what’s possible when visionary leadership meets fully integrated delivery,” says Rebekah Gray, incoming president and CEO of Gray Construction. “We’re proud to have helped set a new global standard for efficiency and sustainability in the beef processing industry.”

Gray’s scope for the project included facility design and construction intended to meet the LEED-certification standards. Gray’s design team utilized building information modeling (BIM) to develop the structural and utility layout and communicate plans to the customer.

“A project of this scale and complexity simply isn’t possible without a deeply collaborative relationship with the customer,” says Brett Goode, executive vice president of food and beverage at Gray. “From day one, AFG was a true partner in every sense – engaged at every level and committed to creating a project that will be a standard-bearer in this industry for decades to come.”

This project supports more than 1,300 jobs and is expected to contribute more than $1 billion annually to the region’s economy.

American Foods Group is a family-owned, U.S.-based beef processing company headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., with operations across the Midwest. It is committed to long-term growth in the cattle business and to the partners it serves.