Popeye returns to Springdale's local landscape

Statue of cartoon character back outside canner’s center

David Wilks (left) and Dwayne Queen unveil a newly painted statue of Popeye on Friday at the Springdale location of Sager Creek Vegetable Co.
David Wilks (left) and Dwayne Queen unveil a newly painted statue of Popeye on Friday at the Springdale location of Sager Creek Vegetable Co.

SPRINGDALE -- Popeye is back.

A statue of the famous cartoon sailor -- the face of Popeye brand spinach, and a fixture along North Thompson Avenue -- disappeared in summer 2014. It stood in front of Siloam-Springs-based Allens Inc.'s warehouse for decades but was moved when the bankrupt vegetable company's new owners put the place up for sale.

Now Popeye once again stands in front of the operation, freshly painted and seemingly waving to passing motorists. On Friday morning, after the statue was unveiled, passing cars honked as if to welcome the sailor back to town.

Sager Creek Vegetable Co., which now controls the assets of defunct Allens Inc., has changed hands and its new owner decided not to sell the property. Instead, the company has sunk nearly $1 million into renovations. The refurbished distribution center will add 40 jobs -- 20 to start with and 20 more soon thereafter.

The 200,000-square-foot facility is dedicated to Sager Creek's food service business, which provides large cans of vegetables and other canned foods to companies that serve restaurants. In addition to acting as a warehouse and distribution center, the facility will house a labeling line.

Mike Zelkind, president of Sager Creek, said the renovated facility, the additional jobs and Popeye's return are stories of resilience, innovation and growth.

Allens, which had been in operation since 1926, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in late October 2013. The bankruptcy has since been shifted to Chapter 7.

Sager Creek Acquisition Corp., made up of investment funds Sankaty Advisors LLC and GB Credit Partners LLC, two of Allens' former creditors, bought bankrupt Allens at auction in February of 2014 in a deal valued at $160 million. Allens Inc. was renamed Sager Creek Vegetable Co. by its new owners in July 2014.

But the story didn't end there.

In March, privately held Del Monte Foods Inc. bought all the assets of Sager Creek Vegetable Co., including the Popeye brand, for $75 million in cash. At the time, the California-based company's chief executive said the deal gave Del Monte the opportunity to expand on Sager Creek's food service business platform and new retail product offerings.

While Popeye is back to watch over the distribution center, it's not the original statue that had guarded the property for years. The original Popeye was taken to Sager Creek's headquarters last summer, where it got a face-lift and was put on display. The Popeye statue that now stands in front of the distribution center is a duplicate, with a few cosmetic differences.

Dwayne Queen, director of logistics for Sager Creek, said the statue was spruced up by Lightning Bolt Advertising in Siloam Springs, the same company that did the new signs at the distribution center. He said the statue was kept under lock and key until the big reveal.

Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse told a group gathered to see the unveiling Friday he was happy Sager Creek was expanding and that it had brought Popeye back to the city, adding Popeye was one of his favorite cartoon characters.

"This is huuuggge," he said, doing a Donald Trump impression.

Business on 09/19/2015

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