WLR Foods records

WLR Foods is a hybrid of three Shenandoah Valley operations. The W and L in the name are for the Wampler and Longacre families; the R is for Rockingham County Poultry Cooperative. WLR Foods first incorporated in 1986 and created a holistic and self-sufficient poultry company that was capable of controlling all aspects of poultry production, from the egg to the local market. WLR Foods combined hatcheries and farms, feed storage and mills, processing and dressing plants, and distribution under one corporate umbrella. This proved to be a winning combination for the Virginia based company; at the height of its success in 1996, WLR Foods sales reached almost one billion dollars and employed over eight thousand workers. The success achieved by WLR Foods was predicated on three distinct companies that merged in 1986: Wampler Foods, Longacre Farms, and Rockingham Poultry Cooperative.

Wampler Foods began in 1927 with the founding of Wampler Feed and Seed Company. Wampler Feed was the first turkey feed company to contract directly with farms to grow poultry. Under the direction of founder, Charles W. Wampler Sr., Wampler Feed and Seed flourished during the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s. Wampler Feed revolutionized the poultry industry by pioneering the use of incubators to hatch turkeys and early adoption of cooped turkey growing. Upon the retirement of Charles Wampler Sr., his son, Charles Wampler Jr., took over as manager of Wampler Feed and Seed. In 1969, Wampler Jr. working with Herman Mason joined Wampler Feed with Virginia Valley Processing to create Wampler Foods. The merger brought poultry operations in hatcheries, feeding, growers, and limited processing together into one corporation. Further expansion of processing and increased distribution capabilities fueled the search for subsequent merger opportunities.

During World War II, the American labor force began to diminish. This shortage had a great effect on the agricultural community as farmers and farm workers left to join the war. By 1943, the labor shortage forced Congress to allow draft deferments for farmers and hired men. Horace W. Longacre, a passive Mennonite, sought to serve but not to fight. He considered farm draft deferment a peaceable alternative. In order to qualify for the deferment, Longacre bought 84 acres of farmland in Quakertown, Pennsylvania in 1944 and began selling eggs and vegetables. He soon moved exclusively into poultry operations, processing, and dressing chickens. By 1948, Longacre expanded his business into Virginia and was working with Herman Mason as a feed supplier. Eventually, he moved away from poultry feed and focused entirely on processing. At the peak of his success, Longacre employed over 700 people and continued to further capabilities in dressing and distribution. It was under these circumstances that Longacre’s business became an attractive merger option for Wampler who was seeking to expand in processing. By 1984, the merger was complete and Wampler-Longacre was formed.

The Wampler-Longacre merger set the stage for a new acquisition; in 1986, Wampler-Longacre acquired Rockingham Poultry Cooperative which expanded Wampler-Longacre into chicken production and also set the stage for the formation of WLR Foods Incorporated.

In 1988, WLR Foods hired fortuitously James Keeler as CEO and retained Charles Wampler Jr. as Chairman of the Board. During a hostile takeover attempt by Tyson Foods in 1994, Keeler proved to be a valuable leader in stopping Tyson. The company also went public that year with stock selling on NASDAQ. By the early 1990’s, WLR was packaging poultry into 250 different product lines from hotdogs to burgers. Throughout the 1990’s, WLR Foods continued to expand. In 1990, Golden Acre Foods was acquired along with Cassco Corporation, an ice and cold storage operation. In 1992, Round Hill Foods and the Southern Ice Company were purchased. In 1993, WLR acquired Commonwealth Ice Company and the Beverley Company.

In 1994, Fortune Magazine had listed the company prestigiously in the top 500 companies in the nation. That same year, WLR Foods recorded sales over 700 million and attracted the attention of Tyson Foods Incorporated which attempted a hostile takeover by offering shareholders $30.00 per share which was well above the fair market value at the time. James Keeler, a former lawyer, aggressively fought Tyson Foods by rallying shareholders and using loopholes in Virginia law to prevent a payout from Tyson.

Following the takeover attempt, WLR Foods continued to be a successful leader in the poultry industry and acquired Cuddy Farms Incorporated which strengthened its turkey production and processing operations. However, by 2000 WLR Foods was on the decline with stock shares dropping to $4.59. Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation bought and absorbed WLR Foods thus ending the corporation’s fourteen-year dominance of the industry.