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, RI, to Denham Springs, LA. 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.
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.
The company's chief executive cited factors influencing Bercen's decision, including proximity to LSU and Southeastern Louisiana University for recruitment of research chemists and engineers; lower taxes; a robust petrochemical industry; proximity to raw materials and customer base; a more competitive business climate in Louisiana; 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.
The new headquarters is scheduled to take place by Dec. 31, 2009. For more information, visit: www.louisianaforward.com.
