Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and Epic Piping CEO Remi Bonnecaze announced the company will establish a 40,000-square-foot pipe supports fabrication facility in Lake Providence, Louisiana. The new facility will feature custom milling and fitting shops and onsite structural welding areas that will generate pipe support materials for Epic Piping’s global customer base.
Epic Piping will create 50 new direct jobs at the facility, with an average salary of $43,500, plus benefits. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in an additional 79 new indirect jobs, for a total of 129 new jobs in East Carroll Parish. In addition to making a nearly $2 million capital investment at the site, Epic Piping will work with the Louisiana Community and Technical College System to train local residents and build a long-term workforce pipeline for the facility.
“Epic Piping is making a sizable new commitment that will generate a powerful, positive impact in the Lake Providence community for years to come,” Gov. Edwards said. “This facility not only will provide great new jobs for the area, but it also will serve as an anchor for economic growth in the region. I’m proud to see that the leadership of Epic Piping is committed to our state through supporting communities in need of renewed investment and growth. This fabrication facility can be a game-changer for the Port of Lake Providence and East Carroll Parish.”
A leader in the industrial pipe fabrication industry, Baton Rouge-based Epic Piping’s new facility will supply pipe support materials to meet the needs of its global customers. The company will hire structural welders, fabricators, and machine and materials handers to support large industrial projects, including leading companies in the energy, chemical refining, offshore and oil and gas industries.
“With convenient access to the Mississippi River, rail and interstate highways and clear connectivity to Epic Piping’s global supply chain, our new pipe manufacturing facility in Lake Providence is a clear asset to both our company and customers,” Bonnecaze said. “We believe this facility is only the start of tapping into the manufacturing potential of East Carroll Parish and Northeast Louisiana, whereby the companies we serve, and many others, will see the benefits of co-locating their manufacturing operations nearby.”
The announcement of the new facility in Lake Providence is the latest new development for Epic Piping, which in November 2016 dedicated a $45.3 million complex in Livingston, Louisiana. That project, anchored by an advanced pipe fabrication facility, is creating 560 new direct jobs in Livingston Parish. The 268,000-square-foot Livingston facility is located on a 70-acre site and features state-of-the-art equipment and the capacity to produce up to 7,000 spools per month. The Lake Providence site will work in tandem with Epic Piping locations in Livingston and elsewhere.
“The Lake Providence Port Commission is tremendously excited with Epic Piping’s choice of the port as the newest location for their company,” said Director Wyly Gilfoil of the Port of Lake Providence. “We look forward to a long and fruitful association that will move this region and our state forward."
Epic Piping officials attribute the presence of nearby Louisiana Delta Community College, part of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, as a key factor in locating this facility in Lake Providence. The college’s welding program will offer technical coursework to meet Epic Piping’s workforce needs, such as customized welding procedures and hands-on training in the company’s manufacturing environment. Epic Piping’s recruitment will focus on identifying local candidates who can be quickly trained and employed at the facility, as well as working with LED to recruit former residents back to East Carroll Parish to fill immediate and future staffing needs.
“Louisiana Delta Community College’s partnership with Epic Piping is a prime example of our community and technical colleges working in tandem with private industry and state and local government to spur economic activity in Louisiana communities,” said LCTCS President Monty Sullivan. “By leveraging our existing welding and technical training programs with customized curricula and hands-on learning opportunities, we will continue generating a highly skilled workforce that can be immediately employed and be a critical part of the exciting growth opportunities we see for this part of our state.”
To secure the project in Louisiana, the state offered Epic Piping the services of LED FastStart®, ranked as the No. 1 state workforce training program in the nation for the past 10 consecutive years.
“I commend the Lake Providence Port Commission on seeking and securing new businesses for our Lake Providence community,” said Mayor Jerry Bell of Lake Providence. “We have the necessary infrastructure to facilitate commerce via the port, U.S. Highway 65, and the railway. This project presents beneficial employment opportunities to our residents.”
“We welcome Epic Piping to East Carroll Parish with enthusiasm and a commitment to remain a strong partner to them for years to come,” said East Carroll Parish Police Jury President Lee Denny. “The jobs they will deliver will signal a welcome boost of economic activity to our parish. This is an exciting new opportunity, not only for Epic, but for all of East Carroll Parish.”