Canadian company builds $110M sawmill in Louisiana
PLAIN DEALING, La. (AP) — A Canadian forest products company has begun work on a $110 million sawmill in northwest Louisiana, officials said Monday.
The Teal Jones Group purchased sawmills in Antlers, Oklahoma; Kinsale and Martinsville, Virginia; and Liberty, Mississippi, between 2013 and 2021, but it will be the first it has built in the United States, a spokesperson said in an email Monday.
The sawmill near Plain Dealing will employ 125 people and produce up to 300 million board feet (91.4 million board meters) per year of southern yellow pine, according to the statement from Governor John Bel Edwards and Louisiana Economic. Development.
The city has nearly 900 residents, according to the Census Bureau.
Officials held a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday. If all goes well, the plant could be open by the end of 2023, a Teal Jones spokesperson said.
The company is headquartered in Surrey, BC
Louisiana has offered incentives, including its Good Jobs Program, which offers up to 6% annual payroll rebate for up to 10 years. It also allows for either a state capital expenditure tax rebate or a 1.5% rebate on project installation expenses for qualifying expenses. Teal Jones should also seek local tax breaks.
