Maple Leaf Farms, which raises millions of ducks a year for meat processing, will be moving its headquarters in October. The company purchased the former Leesburg Elementary School and will renovate it. As Maple Leaf continues to expand, its current headquarters, and home to two of its food-processing plants, located between Leesburg and Milford, will not be enough to satisfy the company's current and future office needs, said Janelle Deatsman, communications manager.
The renovation will be done by Weigand Construction Co. of Fort Wayne. According to a news release from Weigand, the 37,600-square-foot building will be renovated to include administrative and corporate office space, a company store, a demonstration kitchen, conference and training spaces and a fitness room. The renovation is under way. It should be done by October.
Maple Leaf Farms was founded in 1958 at its current location. It is a third-generation family-owned business. Maple Leaf produces white Pekin ducks, which make up more than 95 percent of duck consumption in the United States. It started by producing about 280,000 ducks its first year. By 1964, Maple Leaf's annual production grew to 1 million ducks. Now it produces between 12 million and 15 million ducks a year.
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