A decision announced five years ago -- and forgotten by many -- became all the more real last week when Perdue Farms announced its Perdue AgriBusiness would be moving some 150 jobs to new corporate offices in Sussex County.

The move will not relocate the corporate headquarters, but will allow a growing portion of the company’s business -- processing grains and feeds, and recycling poultry manure -- to operate from a new office complex, likely to be established in the Seaford area..

It was five years ago that the community first digested the bad news. In his annual State of the State Address, Delaware Gov. Jack Markell reminded everyone last week that Perdue’s AgriBusiness is still committed to moving some 150 jobs to Sussex and out of Salisbury. For Markell, it was a bragging point in a list of his gubernatorial successes.

In a statement released after the speech, Perdue expanded on the reminder, saying it intends to relocate its headquarters to Delaware to support the division's continuing growth. The new office location, at a site yet to be determined, will replace a nearly 45-year-old facility at the Perdue AgriBusiness complex on Zion Church Road.

The new, expanded office space will support the company's growth in grain, feeds, fertilizer and other agricultural services.

“Governor Markell’s remarks reflect our re-commitment to relocate to Delaware,” said Dick Willey, Perdue AgriBusiness president. “The state of Delaware historically has been a great business partner with Perdue, from welcoming construction of the Perdue AgriRecycle facility more than a decade ago to expansion of grain operations in Bridgeville and Seaford as well as grants issued to expand the Milford processing plant.”

Approximately 150 current and future executive, management and support positions will be housed at the new location. All other Perdue AgriBusiness operations will continue in their current locations, including the grain operations on Zion Church Road.

Company officials said it will likely be a two-year process to select an office location and make the move.