After more than a year of closure, Bushnell Locker Service has reopened under new ownership. Joel Hisey, who has years of experience in meat processing, says he’s ready to carry on the tradition while bringing fresh energy to the business.
“Right now, it’s been trying to get back up to where [the Mason family] left off. They had a lot of specialties, and we’re carrying a lot of those,” says Hisey. “Larry’s been sticking around, teaching me his recipes. So we have been trying to keep everything the same way they did it, and it’s been working. The community has been in and out all day, every day, it seems like.”
Before reopening Bushnell Locker Service, Hisey worked eight years in the industry at the Farmington Locker Plant.
“I really enjoyed working in this industry and doing it, and I knew about Bushnell Locker for a long time, and I’ve heard all the praise, and they have this new facility they built back in 2000. I always looked up to this place and admired what they were doing,” says Hisey. “Then, to come to the point where there’s an actual opportunity to step in and make something happen. I couldn’t be happier.”
Bushnell Locker Service will continue to focus on whole beef and hog processing, retail meats, and deer processing. Looking ahead, Hisey says he’s ready to expand as community demand grows.
