NFIB

Nearly 70 years ago, Virgil Cooper decided to start a business with the goal of raising the healthiest and finest turkeys possible. This was during a time when so many others had lost the capacity to dream big due to the scars left by the Great Depression. Although times were difficult as the economy still recovered from the catastrophic damage that had been done to it in the 1920s, Virgil Cooper was determined that Cooper Farms would succeed. And succeed it did. 

Cooper Farms grew rapidly in the 1950s and '60s, and after much hard work and dedication, the family-owned business was operating its own feed mills, building egg-laying complexes, expanding its hatchery and opening a processing plant in order to keep pace with the growing demand for its turkey products. By 1980, Virgil Cooper was ready to retire and entrusted the company to his sons, Jim and Gary, and daughter, Dianne, who all had grown up working on the family's farms. Virgil's children have carried on his vision for the company, ensuring Cooper Farms' continued success and growth over the past 27 years. Several other family members currently work at Cooper Farms, including five from the third generation and at least one from the fourth generation.

For 30 out of the 70 years Cooper Farms has been in business, it has been an active NFIB member. 

"We like to support organizations at the local, state and national level that have the same values and concerns that we have as a company and as individuals," said Gary Cooper, chief operating officer of Cooper Farms. "NFIB helps to keep us informed of legislative actions and other business concerns that could be potentially harmful or helpful to our organization."   

Enactment of dangerous legislation can negatively affect business, so Cooper Farms has frequently given to the NFIB SAFE Trust (Save America's Free Enterprise Trust) in order to ensure pro-small-business candidates are elected. Cooper Farms has also sponsored Area Action Council meetings, allowing fellow small-business owners in Northwest and Western Ohio to come together to meet legislators and discuss pertinent issues.

Like most businesses in Ohio, Cooper Farms is constantly working to grow business and attract talented individuals to join its team. 

"One of the largest hurdles our company faces is finding highly ambitious, well educated and proactively motivated young individuals to join our company now and in the future," said Gary. "Plus, the rural community is trending away from understanding the importance of a country producing their own food in an efficient and self-sustaining manner to be able to feed the ever expanding American population."

Today, Cooper Farms has 1,300 team members who work at four divisions throughout Northwestern and Western Ohio, and is growing at roughly 5-10 percent each year. The Hatchery Division is located in Oakwood, Ohio (Paulding County), and oversees the breeding, laying and hatching operations. The Feed and Animal Production Division is located in Fort Recovery, Ohio, and is responsible for producing over 400,000 tons of feed annually. Cooper Farms Processing is located in St. Henry, Ohio, and processes over 185 millions pounds of live turkeys each year. Finally, Van Wert, Ohio, is home to a state-of-the-art cooked meats facility, which processes over 45 million pounds of fully cooked turkey, chicken and pork hams for restaurant and deli use each year.