Fig. 20: Shreveport-Bossier MSA Non-Farm Employment Forecast: 2014-15 190 180
Thousands
170 160 150
2014: +900 (+0.5% ) 2015: +900 (+0.5% )
140 130 80
85
90
95
00
05
10
15
Construction: Benteler, Honeywell & State Roads Lead the Way Just as the LEO was released last year officials at the Port of Caddo Bossier received some great news. Benteler Steel will be making a $900 million investment at the Port over the next 10 years. Work is already underway on Phase I which is a $665 million tube mill. Projections are that the tube mill will be complete in 2015-II and open with 271 jobs, a figure that is expected to grow to 540 by 2020. A $227 million mini steel mill is planned to be operational by June 2024, pushing the total job count at Benteler to 640. This will be Benteler’s first plant in the U.S. and the largest investment in the company’s history. Over 2013-14, an additional $39 million investment in infrastructure will be made at the Port to support the new Benteler mill. Another excellent win for the Port was the announcement that Ronpak---which completed construction in mid-2013 of a $16.8 million, 275-job customized paper bag plant at the Port---is moving its headquarters to the Port, creating 132 jobs by the end of 2013 and 275 jobs total by the end of 2018. Two other significant Port clients--Ternium and Pratt Industries---appear to have solid prospects over the next two years. The Shreveport-Bossier MSA has been able to attract a weighty amount of spending by the state on road projects in the region, and the next two years will be no exception to that recent trend. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has reported $303.3 million in road projects have been let in the MSA over 20141-5. Among the larger projects are: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Economic Outlook Page 61