SUN HERALD | Editorial: Port Bienville has a growth spurt

September 10, 2015

September 10, 2015 

In case you missed it in the hubbub surrounding the 10th anniversary of Katrina, there was some sweet economic-development news out of Hancock County the last week in August.

First, DAK Americas said it would expand its operations in the Port Bienville Industrial Park, adding 86 jobs that will pay an average salary of $50,000 a year. DAK operates the largest plastic-resin plant in the park. Now it will add a plant that will make 230 million pounds of polyester staple fibers.

Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission Executive Director Ashley Edwards said the commission beat out Charleston, S.C., to get the plant in South Mississippi. It should be up and running sometime after June.

Edwards said the addition makes the port one of the most important consumer polymer producers in the world.

The commission also landed Petroleum Helicopters Inc., which will use Stennis International Airport as a contingency operations base. The company evacuates oil and gas personnel from the Gulf of Mexico during tropical weather.

And EmberClear Corp. plans to develop a natural-gas-to-methanol project at Port Bienville, a potential $1 billion investment. The company said it has the air permits and is raising money to start construction. It signed a lease-option agreement on 150 acres in the park.

Business Insider earlier this year named Bay St. Louis one of the Coolest Beach Towns in America. Some well-paying jobs just makes the rest of Hancock County pretty cool, too.

This editorial represents the views of the Sun Herald editorial board. Opinions expressed by columnists, cartoonists and letter writers are their own.
 

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2015/09/10/6407786_sun-herald-editorial-port-bienville.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy

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