With Louisiana attracting recent value-added agribusiness
projects, such as Zagis USA and Dynamic Fuels, ConAgra Foods Lamb
Weston's announcement to build its first sweet potato processing
facility in Louisiana was another sweet success.
Lamb Weston, a brand of ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE: CAG), will
invest over $210 million in a new state-of-the-art, environmentally
friendly facility in Delhi, La., creating at least 500 new direct
jobs with an average annual salary of $35,000 plus benefits. Upon
completion, the facility will be among the 10 largest
private-sector employers in Northeast Louisiana.
Gov. Bobby Jindal described the news as "further evidence of why
our state continues to buck national economic trends."
"ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston's decision means that we can use our
homegrown commodities to create good jobs for our people and
produce quality products for the rest of the country," said Gov.
Jindal. "This win shows that we must not underestimate the quality
of our people or our products. Indeed, we can compete with anyone
in the world."
The facility will be constructed in two phases, with the first
phase ($156 million) scheduled for completion by late 2010, and a
second phase ($55 million to $100 million) by February 2014.
It will be one of the first food plants in the country built
from the ground up with the newest and best processing and
packaging technologies in the industry. The facility will also
follow LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design,
standards for environmentally sustainable construction and will be
registered with the United States Green Building Council.
"Lamb Weston is already the leading provider of frozen sweet
potato products to restaurants and retailers around the world, and
we look forward to continuing to grow that leadership position in
the market with this significant investment," said Jeff DeLapp,
president of ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston. "Not only is the state of
Louisiana known for its high-quality sweet potatoes, it offers a
great environment for business and a skilled workforce. Gov. Jindal
and LED have gone out of their way to make this plant possible, and
we are grateful for their support."
Lamb Weston plans to work with North Louisiana farmers to expand
the state's 15,000 acres of land dedicated to sweet potato growth.
Currently, Louisiana's sweet potato acreage is third in the nation
behind North Carolina and Mississippi.
An economic-impact analysis conducted by LSU suggests that the
new facility will provide $2.1 billion to $2.4 billion in new state
economic output from 2009 to 2025. In addition to direct jobs, LSU
estimates that the new facility will precipitate an additional
1,420 to 1,704 indirect jobs. The facility will also generate $70
million to $81 million in new state tax revenues, excluding
increased corporate income taxes.
The company plans to take advantage of the state's Industrial
Property Tax Exemption program and customized workforce
recruitment, screening and training developed by Louisiana
FastStart™, a turnkey workforce solutions program.
