NEWS

Continental Tire, state officials sign plant deal

Sarah Fowler

Clarion Ledger

Mississippi is one step closer to becoming the premier southern automobile corridor, Gov. Phil Bryant said Monday as he and other elected officials signed a memorandum of understanding with Continental Tire.

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, from left, U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper, Speaker of the Mississippi House Philip Gunn, and U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, listen as Gov. Phil Bryant makes remarks during an event at Clinton High School on Monday to formally announce Continental Tires' new manufacturing plant to be located just west of Clinton, in Hinds County.

Paul Williams, center, Continental Tires executive vice president for truck tires in the Americas, explains the layout of the company's new Mississippi manufacturing plant to Gov. Phil Bryant as the two look at a rendering of the proposed facility while at Clinton High School on Monday. State and local officials, along with company representatives, gathered at the school for an event to formally announce the new plant which is to be located just west of Clinton, in Hinds County.

Last week, the state legislature signed a $263 million incentive package through the Mississippi Major Economic Impact Authority that brings a $1.45 billion Continental Tire plant to Hinds County, which contributed $20 million to the deal. The plant is expected to employ 2,500 people with an annual salary of $40,000.

Bryant said he and the Mississippi Development Authority worked with Continental, the fourth largest tire manufacturer in the world, for two years to secure the deal. It was time well spent, he said.

"I can tell you, working with Continental Tire, they have an aversion to risk. I like that about them. As we went through a two-year period of negations as, I'm sure they were being lured by other states and other countries, it was Mississippi, here in Hinds County, which they will begin to build what we think may be as large as a five million square foot facility. This is part of our growth in the southern automobile corridor," Bryant said at an afternoon ceremony at Clinton High School.

Artist renderings depicted approximately 1,000 acres of potential plant space. Construction will begin in 2018. The first tire is expected to be produced by October 2019, he said.

Paul Williams, executive vice president of Continental Tire, said Continental expects to grow "substantially" in the future.

Williams said Continental would first produce industrial tires with the possibility of passenger and off road tires.

A former Nissan executive, Williams said Continental was encouraged by Mississippi's proven record in automobile familiarity.

"It was one of the elements that attracted us here," said Williams, "because it speaks to the quality of the people, the skill level and the technical competence we can expect here and obviously it helps because, with the Nissan background, with Toyota, it brings up the level of automotive understanding."

Bryant also announced Monday that Edison Chouest Offshore is locating their shipbuilding operations,Topship, would be coming to the Port of Gulfport. The project represents a $68 million corporate investment and will create 1,000 jobs, according to a press release issued by the governor's office.

Although Monday's announcement was historic for Mississippi development, Bryant said the work has just begun.

Referring to Mississippi as the "Hunter State," Bryant said, "... We hunt for those partners around the globe that can provide jobs, but also stability and have a reputation for integrity, and certainly Continental Tire fits that. As we begin to invest the tax

Contact Sarah Fowler at sfowler@gannett.com or (601) 961-7303. Follow @FowlerSarah on Twitter.