LA: Great Southern Wood to Invest $22.5 Million in Expansion, Creating 58 New Direct Jobs

Great Southern Wood Preserving is investing $22.5 million to expand its wood treatment products for residential, industrial and marine use that are produced at its Avoyelles Parish, La., facility. The lumber processing company, best known for its YellaWood brand pressure-treated pine, will retain 75 jobs and create 58 new direct jobs with the move, while Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in 144 indirect jobs, reports the Bossier Press-Tribune. The company estimates the project will result in 300 construction jobs.

“Great Southern Wood Preserving joins a growing list of lumber companies that have announced new or expanding operations that created more than 600 direct new jobs in Louisiana the past two years,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards. “The timber industry is thriving in our state, and investments by existing Louisiana producers like Great Southern reinforce our agribusiness sector and contribute to the revitalization of our rural communities.”

The Great Southern facility in Mansura will be expanded to include a 187,500 square-foot warehouse to protect treated lumber, 112,500 square-foot manufacturing facility, office building and truck maintenance shop, reports the Bossier Press-Tribune. In addition to its residential and marine use products, the expansion will allow the company to target new commercial and industrial markets in Louisiana.

“This expansion in Mansura is the culmination of the long-range plan we had in mind when we began operations there in late 2011,” Jimmy Rane, Great Southern’s founder, president and CEO, said. “We’ve experienced continued growth through those years, and have reached the stage where investing in expanded product offerings will allow us to serve the broader Louisiana market with new products and additional manufacturing capabilities for residential, construction and industrial markets. We have a very strong leadership team and workforce in Mansura, and we’re poised to continue growing in Louisiana, which is a key growth area for us. We couldn’t be more excited about our expansion in Mansura, and we’re looking forward to getting under way.”

Construction on the expansion is expected to be complete by the end of 2023.

To secure Great Southern’s expansion in Mansura, the State of Louisiana provided the company with a competitive incentive package that includes the services of LED FastStart, the No. 1 statewide workforce development program in the U.S. Great Southern is expected to participate in the state’s Quality Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs, reports the Press-Tribune. The company also will receive a $750,000 award from the state’s Retention and Modernization Tax Credit program, and $750,000 from the CLECO economic development fund established in 2017 as part of the public utility’s transition to private ownership. The fund, which is administered by LED, was created to support job-creating projects across CLECO’s largely rural 24-parish service area.