Editor’s Note: “The Economic Development Side” originally appears in the Pine Bluff Regional Chamber of Commerce’s weekly member e-newsletter. It is written by Rhonda Dishner, the Economic Development Alliance’s executive assistant.
Since another year has begun — bringing new prospects and project activity — it’s also time for the Economic Development Alliance to write the reports that summarize last year’s developments.
A total of 30 new projects were worked by Alliance staff during calendar 2018. In the same timeframe, a total of at least 25 prospect visits to Pine Bluff and Jefferson County were recorded by staff. Many of those visits were by out-of-state businessmen or consultants.
Although there were 30 new requests for basic community and site information in 2018, a small number of these contacts included a request for more detailed data. Of the projects where our geographic location and the availability and suitability of buildings and properties fit the clients’ criteria, the Alliance completed and submitted responses to 16 in-depth requests for information or requests for proposals (RFIs or RFPs).
Not included in the above totals are the scores of phone conversations and emails that were exchanged between staff and project representatives. Also not included in the count is staff work regarding numerous projects that remain active and viable from previous years. There are possibly a dozen of these.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Two project companies made announcements last year — one existing project and a new one.
Information about an Alliance project originating in 2016, Stacked Leasing, was made public in January 2018 when it was approved for local incentive funds by the Economic Development Corporation (sales tax board). It was reported then that project capital investment is estimated at over $6.6 million and 31 new jobs will be created.
In August, the tax board approved another incentive award to Twin Rivers Paper Co., which purchased the Mondi Paper Mill here last June. This early 2018 Alliance project reported plans to invest “tens of millions” of dollars in the plant while preserving 200 jobs.
Meanwhile, the $3.7 billion Energy Security Partners project planned for northern Jefferson County reached a milestone in August when it secured the $100 million in funding needed for front-end engineering and design. Alliance efforts in connection with this project actually date to contacts made in 2009.
That’s all good news for the community. Some more good news from year-end: at least two of 2018’s new manufacturing projects are very, very promising, and we’ve “made the second cut” on another one. And we immediately kicked off 2019 with a new project RFI to complete.