Bercen Moves Headquarters to Louisiana

 

Louisiana Economic Development Update

Announcement represents $5 million capital investment and 20 new jobs averaging $90,000 annually 

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, 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.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 Southeastern Louisiana University 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. 

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