Gov. Bobby Jindal and Nachurs Alpine Solutions announced the company will open a Louisiana facility, renovating a 174,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Iberville Parish to produce and distribute liquid fertilizers to global agricultural customers. The Nachurs Alpine Solutions site will create 16 new direct jobs with an average salary of more than $45,700, plus benefits.
Based in Ohio, Nachurs Alpine Solutions recently purchased a 69-acre parcel of the Ciba-Geigy site in St. Gabriel and will invest $13.9 million to renovate existing buildings. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in an additional 44 indirect jobs.
Gov. Jindal said, “Nachurs Alpine Solutions is a prime example of companies selecting Louisiana as the next great state for business investment. Nachurs joins a long list of chemical manufacturers investing in Louisiana because of our world-class energy infrastructure, strong business climate and incomparable workforce. This project also represents the redevelopment of a former industrial site and exemplifies how we continue to make use of our existing assets to attract new career opportunities for Louisiana families.”
Nachurs manufactures and sells liquid fertilizer for a wide variety of agricultural products, including precision-placed, seed-safe, starter fertilizers for corn, soybean and wheat production. The company also develops liquid fertilizer for canola, alfalfa, potatoes, sugar beets, lentils and various other fruit and vegetable products. Nachurs plans to supply customers in Louisiana and the South, as well as export markets from the St. Gabriel facility.
“Our reasons for locating to the Louisiana site are to better serve and expand our fertilizer and industrial businesses in the South and to have good port access for importing and exporting,” said Chief Financial Officer Jeff Barnes of Nachurs Alpine Solutions. “The Ciba-Geigy site will allow us to undertake new manufacturing processes, and Iberville Parish provides us with a strong workforce.”
Ciba-Geigy Corp. developed an herbicide production facility in St. Gabriel in 1970, with much of the original site being retained through mergers by Syngenta Crop Protection Inc. Additional acreage was marketed, and LED, the Iberville Chamber of Commerce and the Baton Rouge Area Chamber worked with Nachurs to identify the site as a prime location on the Mississippi River for the company’s sixth manufacturing facility. Nachurs operates five other manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and Canada, along with 30 product depots for customer convenience.
“On behalf of the Iberville Parish Chamber, we are so proud of another win for the area,” said Executive Director Hank Grace of the Iberville Chamber of Commerce. “We welcome Nachurs Alpine Solutions, and we are excited they selected Iberville. Any time a company invests in this area and creates jobs, it’s not only a win for Iberville, but a win for the entire Capital Region.”
Nachurs is expected to utilize incentives from the state’s Quality Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs.
“Nachurs Alpine Solutions will take an idle facility and open a production plant that serves not only the Gulf Region, but all of North America and other international markets,” said BRAC President and CEO Adam Knapp. “The Capital Region will benefit from having a company with such a large reach located in our region. We are pleased that Nachurs Alpine Solutions saw what a great choice the Baton Rouge area is for business and has made a commitment to the region.”
Construction will begin before the end of the year and will be completed by mid-2014, with Nachurs beginning to hire employees during the construction phase.
About Nachurs Alpine Solutions
Nachurs Alpine Solutions, a liquid chemicals manufacturing company, is a market leader in the manufacture and distribution of high-quality liquid starter fertilizers, other fertility amendments, and a variety of industrial products that adhere to stringent quality guidelines to provide customers with a quality product each and every time. In 1998, Na-Churs Plant Food Company acquired Alpine Plant Foods Corporation, to form Nachurs Alpine Solutions (NAS). Products are sold under the brand name of NACHURS® in the United States and ALPINE® in Canada. Nachurs Alpine Solutions’ primary business is selling precision-placed, seed-safe, starter fertilizers for corn, soybeans and wheat production. The company also formulates liquid fertilizer for canola, alfalfa, potatoes, sugar beets, lentils and various other fruit and vegetable crops. In 2001, in addition to liquid fertilizer, Nachurs Alpine Solutions branched out into the industrial marketplace through the brand Nachurs Alpine Solutions Industrial (NASi). Through this initiative the company formulates, manufactures and distributes various products into the rapidly expanding oil and gas business. The company also supplies runway de-icer fluids to airports across North America. Various other nonagricultural markets are serviced through the NASi brand.