To consistently provide superior ingredients to the pet food industry, that are manufactured in and by a process that is safe for our end products, our employees, and our environment.
Sun River Service Corporation was incorporated in 1994 by Bill Ross and Gary Bottomley. Up until the Tyson Foods buyout in 1989, Bill and Gary worked together at Holly Farms as the Chief Mechanical Engineer and Head of Engineering, respectively. Through their years at Holly, Bill and Gary developed relationships within the pet food industry. While continuing to operate a successful engineering consulting firm, they began production of frozen pet food ingredients in Wilson, NC on July 18th, 1994. The origin of the name Sun River is derived from a river of the same name in the wilderness of Montana, where Bill and Gary frequently enjoyed big game hunting.
In 1996, Gary sold his share of the company to Bill, and Gary continued his endeavors with American Proteins. In the summer of 1996, Bill was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Over the following three years, he successfully fought the cancer, continuing to grow Sun River and enjoy life. In October of 1999, Bill became unexpectedly ill, developing Leukemia, from which he would not recover. Bill Ross died on November 4th, 1999 at the age of 53.
The ownership of Sun River passed to Bill’s wife, Elise Ross, and his two sons, Watson and Jeff Ross. Operations continued under the guidance of Roger Braswell, Plant Manager. Roger’s many years of experience in the chicken industry proved vital to the survival of Sun River over the next few years. Elise continued in her role as President, while Roger and Jeff ran the daily operations. After 10 years of faithful service, Roger Braswell retired and Jeff Ross took over as President and CEO..
In 2019, Sun River was acquired by Olympus Partners and has joined the family of 3D Corporate Solutions. With the help of a superior team, Jeff Ross continues as President and CEO. Sun River operates one location in Wilson, NC. Raw materials for processing, including chicken, beef, pork, fish, and turkey are sourced within the region, freighted in refrigerated trailers, and further processed according to strict quality guidelines and customer specifications. Sun River operates three production shifts and one sanitation shift. For more information about our processing capabilities & services, please contact us at (252) 206-0960.