Job growth announced for Phillips County

Phillips County, an economically beleaguered part of Arkansas, received a bucket of good news with the news that four companies will expand or open in the area.

During a press conference held Monday (Oct. 17) in Helena-West Helena, Gov. Mike Beebe and U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, helped announce that the four companies will create a total of 87 new jobs and invest several million dollars.

The companies are: Enviro Tech Chemical Services; Delta American Fuel LLC; Quapaw Products LLC; and, Southern Hardware Co.

“It takes community-wide effort to improve a town’s future, and that’s what we’re witnessing today in Helena-West Helena,” Beebe said in a statement. “To see four companies locating or expanding here at the same time is a tremendous show of faith in the skills and dedication of the people in Phillips County.”

Many of those people have witnessed some of the highest unemployment rates in Arkansas. The Phillips County jobless rate during August was 11.2%, well above the 9.3% rate in August 2010 and well above the 7.5% during August 2008. By comparison, Arkansas’ jobless rate during August was 8.3%, and 7.8% during August 2010.

Modesto, Calif.-based Enviro Tech Chemical Services is a chemical company operating in the food safety and water treatment industries. The new Helena-West Helena facility will produce peroxyacetic acid to be used in sanitizing meat and poultry to reduce or eliminate pathogenic organisms such as E. coli and salmonella. The company will invest $1.5 million and create 30 new jobs, according to a statement from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

“After discussing our needs with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, it became clear that Arkansas clearly had the business advantages that we were looking for,” Enviro Tech President and CEO Michael Harvey noted in the AEDC statement. “Because the attitude and perspectives of everyone we met were so business-friendly, it made our choice very easy to make. We are quite happy to call Arkansas our new southern home.”

Delta American Fuel, a biodiesel production facility producing fuel from soybean oil, has 10 employees and plans to create 30 new jobs in an expansion. The company is co-located and co-owned by Planters, a fertilizer distribution company.

Quapaw Products, a manufacturer of specialty chemicals for industrial users, plans to add 18 new jobs and invest $1 million. The company, which employs three people in Helena-West Helena, is a subsidiary of Harcros Chemicals, a distributor and producer of industrial chemicals.

Southern Hardware Co., a subsidiary of the Bostwick-Braun Co., of Toledo, Ohio, a wholesale distributor of hardware, plumbing, electrical and industrial supplies, has been in operation in Helena-West Helena since 1914 and plans to invest $2.14 million in an expansion, including nine new employees.

The company, which is 100% employee-owned, plans to expand and modernize its warehouse facility to support planned increases in its customer base and product catalog. The existing facility serves a trade radius of 400 miles and has an active customer base of more than 500. It has 60 employees including 48 in Helena-West Helena.

“We appreciate the commitment of these four companies to doing business here and are committed to doing whatever we can to support their growth,” said Helena-West Helena Mayor Arnell Willis.