Nucor seeks permit for $2 billion iron-making plant in St. James Parish
Nucor Corp. announced this morning it has applied for a permit to build a $2 billion iron plant in St. James Parish. However, the company says it is not certain if it will build the facility. Company officials say they want to build one of the most modern iron-making plants in the world, capable of producing 3 million tons of pig iron.
The plant would create 2,000 construction jobs and 500 permanent jobs, with an average salary of $75,000. Nucor says it could build a second phase that would call for a second furnace, an additional $1 billion investment. "We are proud that Nucor, a company with a great reputation for creating jobs in the U.S., is considering Louisiana for this important project," Gov. Bobby Jindal says.
Stephen Moret, Louisiana Economic Development secretary, says the site is the same one where ThyssenKrupp considered building a steel mill last year. Nucor is a better fit, because of the high salaries the company will offer and the fact that the plant will produce its own power. Moret says the state is working on finalizing an incentive package, which would cover the first phase of the plant and any future expansions. The timeline for construction is uncertain, but Moret says he thinks Nucor will make a decision on the site this year.
Nucor, based in Charlotte, N.C., manufactures carbon and alloy steel in bars, beams, sheet and plate, steel joists and joist girders, steel deck, cold finished steel, steel fasteners, metal building systems and light gauge steel framing. The company posted a record $16.6 billion in sales during 2007 and had nearly $1.5 billion in earnings. The company has operations across the South, including mills and plants in Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and Arkansas.
Business dean hire boosts LSU diversity
Eli Jones, the newly named dean of the LSU's Ourso College of Business, is being praised for his background in business and academe. He's currently associate dean of executive education and a professor of marketing for the C.T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston. Jones has an MBA and a Ph.D. from Texas A&M, has also worked in sales and sales management for Frito-Lay, Nabisco and Quaker Oats and served as executive director of the Sales Excellence Institute and the Program for Excellence in Selling. He has written numerous articles in major marketing and management journals and co-authored two books on sales strategy and leadership.
But aside from noting that Jones, a black man, is the first minority dean of the business college, nobody's saying what's obvious: For a university struggling to create and maintain diversity, Jones is an awfully big fish. Astrid Merget, LSU executive vice chancellor and provost, says qualifications trumped all other considerations in the dean search. Jones’ hiring is subject to approval from the Board of Supervisors. However, Merget concedes that the added bonus of honoring LSU's "tradition of pluralism"—an opportunity afforded by Jones' hiring—is a good thing.
"He's the right person at the right time, and I think he has all the attributes that indicate a really exemplary leader and doer," she says.--Steve Clark
Trace Security up for two 'business Oscars'
Baton Rouge-based TraceSecurity is a finalist in two categories for the 2008 American Business Awards, considered by some “as the business world’s own Oscars.” The company, a provider of on-demand security compliance management solutions, is a finalist for “Best Overall Company” and its CEO and President Pete Stewart is up for “Best Executive: Computer Software.” This is the second year in a row Stewart was nominated for the best executive award. The winners will be announced during a ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York on June 12. The winners will be selected from more than 2,600 entries. “TraceSecurity being selected in not only one, but two categories this year in the American Business Awards says a lot about the accomplishments and milestones we’ve achieved over the short lifespan of our security compliance business,” Stewart says.
MAPP building receives green certification
MAPP Construction has earned a green building certification for the new Chevron regional headquarters it built in Covington. Chevron Northpark has been certified gold by the LEED Green Building rating system, the first building completed by MAPP to earn the designation. MAPP says it plans to build more environmentally friendly buildings.
Jindal signs removed from Kenilworth
Signs designating Kenilworth subdivision as the boyhood home of Gov. Bobby Jindal have been removed because of repeated acts of vandalism. An official with the subdivision's civic association says it was unfortunate that vandals damaged the signs so much. Four Kenilworth residents raised money for the wooden sign, which was put up not long after Jindal was sworn in. --Timothy Boone
Mandel: Tigers still strong without Perrilloux
Troubled LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux is on his way to Jacksonville State, but Sports Illustrated college football writer Stuart Mandel says the Tigers will still be strong in 2008. Mandel ranked LSU fifth in his post spring practice preseason poll, which was released the day before Perrilloux was dismissed from the team. Now Mandel puts the Tigers at No. 7 because of their strong offensive and defensive lines. "The quarterback situation may cause LSU to struggle early, but barring a disaster, I'm guessing the Tigers will be back in the Top 10 when all is said and done," Mandel says. Read the column here.
News roundup: Trump gets $100 million for mansion; Shaw subsidiary receives U.K. honor; state posts bigger than average drop in boating accidents
The Donald cashes in: An oceanfront Palm Beach, Fla., mansion owned by Donald Trump is under contract for sale for $100 million, The Palm Beach Post reports. An unnamed foreign buyer plans to buy the 80,000-square-foot estate, which features a 48-car garage and two guesthouses. The newspaper reports the buyer is considering bulldozing the home and possibly subdividing the property. Trump bought the estate in 2004 for $41.35 million. Jolly good job:The Shaw Group's Energy & Chemical division's U.K. subsidiary has been awarded the President’s Award by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Occupational Health and Safety Organization. The award recognizes a decade of outstanding safety performance. Safe on the water: The number of boating accidents in Louisiana dropped by 18% from 2002 to 2006, beating the national average of 13%. The Personal Watercraft Industry Association, which released the report, credits the declining number of accidents on several factors, such as mandatory boating safety classes and industry efforts to promote safe behavior.
