Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 20/02) - Peggy Witte, the infamous former CEO of Giant Mine, has traded in her hard hat for a butcher's saw.

Witte, who now goes by the name of Margaret Kent, took over as president of a meat packing plant in Ferndale, Wash., last April.

The plant, formerly known as Ferry Brothers, was purchased for $3 million by Witte's holding company, Eden Roc Mineral Corp. It currently employs about 60 and there are plans to expand.

Eden Roc's vice-president Graham Eacott told Yellowknifer Witte was unavailable for comment, but in an article published last month by the Ferndale Record-Journal, Witte said times have changed in the meat packing business.

She told the Record-Journal that her plant is the only "hot-boning beef facility in North America," explaining that hot-boning means the meat goes from slaughter to packing in just 40 minutes.

"We're sitting here with the most progressive hot-boning technology in the United States," said Witte.