Manufacturing Talent

Crider Gift Launches New Advanced Processing Research Network at Georgia Southern

Near the end of World War II, William Ahtee Crider and his wife Emma Lou started a tiny fish and chicken processing market in Douglas, Georgia. Everything was done by hand, including plucking the chickens.

Fast forward to 2022.

Still family owned and headed by Billy Crider Jr. and Bill Crider III (’96), the enterprise, now located in Stillmore, Georgia, is a technology-forward, world-wide market leader of shelf-stable and fully cooked chicken and other proteins. Crider products are distributed globally as private-label goods by brands such as Costco, Publix, Walmart and Swanson for companies in places like Asia and Central and South America.

As the Criders have seen their business grow through automation technology, the need for talented engineers to program and maintain that technology has grown with it.

“We were recruiting nationwide, but then we thought, why are we going so far out looking for talent when we’ve got such an opportunity right here with Georgia Southern?” asked Bill Crider III.

The Criders believe Georgia Southern holds the key to finding the talent they need locally.

Toward that end, Crider, Inc. donated $1 million to Georgia Southern’s Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing to develop the Advanced Processing Research Network (APRN).

The Criders made their gift announcement at the Engineering Research Building on the Statesboro Campus surrounded by robots and robotic imaging devices.

“We wanted to help develop a program that will produce more of the fantastic engineering talent we’ve already been getting from Georgia Southern and help the University become a source of engineering talent for the entire Southeast,” said Crider III.

Billy Crider Jr. surrounded by some Georgia Southern graduate employees. 

The Criders’ donation will provide the foundation for APRN graduate and undergraduate scholarships, more faculty support, state-of-the-art equipment and software, and will involve students and faculty from departments across the college.

“This gift will help apply and develop technology to solve problems due to labor shortages, processing inefficiencies and supply chain disruptions while establishing an experienced high-tech workforce in southeast Georgia,” said Mohammad Davoud, Ph.D., P.E., dean of the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing.

“This gift will also help solve the engineering talent needs of our region and provide outstanding engineering career opportunities locally,” said Georgia Southern President Kyle Marrero.


Bill Crider III (left) and Billy Crider Jr. (right) inspect automation equipment at the Engineering and Research Building.

Plans for the APRN include the exchange of ideas between Crider, Inc. and the University regarding processing equipment and operations, student and faculty research at the Crider facility, internships/co-op opportunities and many more joint projects.

Now, Crider employs more than 20 Georgia Southern graduates in all areas of their state-of-the- art processing facility and is always seeking more.

“Just the fantastic work ethic, fitting into our culture of caring and honest conversation, telling us what they see and what they think,” said Crider III. “We’re getting bigger and better because of what they’re doing.”

“When we saw the quality of the Georgia Southern graduates we were getting, we knew we had to get more to better enable us to compete all over the world,” said Billy Crider Jr.

The Crider motto is “feeding families” and it’s not just a slogan. They like to fly under the radar for their altruism, but they often give back to communities near and far — whether it’s donating protein to the children of Peru or sending free canned chicken to help offset shortages caused by the COVID pandemic in Native American reservations in Arizona. It’s a feeling that runs deep at Crider.

“You know, we never lose focus on what’s important and we couldn’t do this without our team members,” said Bill Crider III. “But to me, this gift is more about Georgia Southern and what they’re doing. We just happen to be able to be a part of it in a small way.” 

— Liz Walker