The Mr. Pizza restaurant north on U.S. 169 across from Wichman Ford is now open for business. It is owned and operated by Mr. and Mrs. Harold Erbert of Iola.
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A new meat processing plant has been put into operation at the site of the old M & M Packing Plant but is not connected with the former company. Ed Marquis is manager of the new company and he and a group of employees own it jointly. After Marquis closed the M & M plant in February he began looking for a formula for a smaller, more compact operation to replace it. He decided to concentrate on killing cows and bulls, boning and cutting the meat, freezing it in boxes and selling it to large meat processors. Remodeling with this model in mind got under way. The killing floor was completely remodeled. Everything but the exterior was replaced and new equipment installed. Marquis and 10 employees then began the new venture as Iola Processors, Inc. They plan to enter the custom slaughtering business later but will not cut and freeze for individual clients at the present time.
