BATON ROUGE – Today, Governor Bobby Jindal, Louisiana Economic Development (LED) Secretary Stephen Moret, Livingston Parish President Mike Grimmer, and representatives of the Livingston Economic Development Council (LEDC) announced that Bercen, Inc. will move its headquarters, as well as its research and development and technical service laboratories, from Cranston, R.I. to Denham Springs in Livingston Parish. This is the second time in 2008 that the headquarters of a specialty chemicals company has been successfully recruited to the Capital Region.
Along with relocating its headquarters and laboratories to Livingston Parish, Bercen plans to expand its local manufacturing operation for a total capital investment of $5 million along with adding 20 new jobs with average annual salaries of $90,000 (plus benefits) to the state.
Governor Bobby Jindal said, “This is another great win for our state. Bercen is the second company to relocate their headquarters to Louisiana in just a matter of months, and again this economic development win also represents a significant capital investment in our economy and the creation of more great, high-paying jobs for our people.”
Bercen has been providing products, services and innovation to the paper industry for more than 40 years. Its products are sold worldwide and its facilities include a customer service department and manufacturing site in Denham Springs.
“The decision to move our sole base of manufacturing operations from Cranston to Denham Springs was based on what we found to be a more competitive business climate in Louisiana,” said Jim Thorpe, president and CEO of Bercen, Inc. “We are enthusiastic about the direction in which Louisiana is heading, and we want to be a part of it.”
The company’s chief executive cited additional factors influencing Bercen’s decision, including proximity to LSU and SoutheasternLouisianaUniversity for recruitment of research chemists and engineers, lower taxes, a robust petrochemical industry, proximity to raw materials and customer base, and proximity to the Port of New Orleans considering that exports make up more than 40 percent of Bercen’s business.
The company is expected to take advantage of $500,000 for infrastructure and relocation expenses from the Governor’s Rapid Response Fund, as well as the Quality Jobs Program.
“Today’s announcement represents the culmination of a coordinated recruitment effort that included Mike Grimmer, Livingston Parish president, John Ware, executive director of Livingston Economic Development Council, and LED,” said Moret. “By recruiting Bercen’s executive team to Louisiana from Rhode Island, we will be expanding the economy here while simultaneously securing the existing Bercen operation in Denham Springs.”
The recruitment effort to move Bercen’s headquarters to Louisiana began approximately one year ago. The new headquarters move is scheduled to take place by Dec. 31, 2009.
Anyone who thinks having a chemical company located in Louisiana is positive in any way needs to go back to the day when a freight car at the Crown Zellerbach chemical company in Bogalusa exploded & exposed everyone for miles around to cancer causing agents. The Times-Picayune reported that this was the only factory in American producing jet fuel & most of the police who orchestrated the evacuation of the residents have died of brain cancer; after removing numerous dead birds in an effort to cover up the explosion that was not only foreseeable, but containable. The director of the chemical company had known that there was a sever chemical leak for days prior to the actual explosion. 1/2 of my immediate family was withing 2 blocks of the explosion & my niece & nephew are subject to passing on genetic deformities if they choose to have children. They were children playing in the park when this tragedy occurred & had to be rescued by 2 of my sisters.
Consider how much you are willing to sacrifice in the name of "economic opportunity" before you consider this action beneficial to the people of Livingston Parish, Louisiana. Written by Debbie
on 6/25/2008
REPORT SPAM OR ABUSE
