[Johnny Ryall]

Pipe plant sign of Tunica growth
County brimming with pride after landing German company
the Commercial Appeal | By Ron Maxey

A German pipe manufacturer's decision to come to Tunica County is the latest feather in the cap of local leaders who say there's been a methodical effort to upgrade what was long thought of as one of the nation's poorest counties. Wilh. Schulz GMBH broke ground this month on a facility in northern Tunica County that is expected to create 500 manufacturing jobs within five years, 180 by the end of 2011.

The 450,000-square-foot rural site, with easy access to the Interstate 69 link to Interstate 55 in DeSoto County, competed with sites in such far-flung places as Shanghai; Rio de Janeiro; and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Local and state leaders noted the international competition at the plant's groundbreaking, and said it speaks to Tunica's improving image that the area beat out the other candidates. "This is a worldwide company, and 300 locations were competing for this project," noted Gov. Haley Barbour, who met with Schulz officials in Singapore to broker the deal.

But local officials say it's just the latest example in the ongoing effort to improve an area known largely for its casinos. "People here have never been afraid to dream," said Tunica County Administrator Clifton Johnson. "People 20 years ago dreamed of businesses on the levee, and we see that today. "There were people who dreamed of an interstate highway from I-55 to Tunica County to get people here in a better fashion, and we see that today." Lyn Arnold, president of the Tunica County Chamber of Commerce, added that she thinks it speaks highly of local officials' efforts that the area was able to bring home 500 jobs in the current economic climate. More than dreaming, however, it might have been the behind-the-scenes negotiations by local and state leaders, starting with Barbour's overseas lobbying, that landed the plant. Barbour pushed for, and got, $15 million in bond improvements from the state to get the project started. Legislators approved the bonds on the opening day of their legislative session in January. Local energy providers also played a key role, with Schulz president and CEO Rainer Floeth jokingly noting that the company "couldn't find enough windmills to produce the power needed" in its home country.

The process used to produce the specialized pipes that will be produced at the factory carries heavy energy requirements, and Floeth singled out Entergy Mississippi Inc. and area power providers for their support. Haley Fisackerly, president and CEO of Entergy Mississippi, was on the stage with state, local and company leaders for the groundbreaking. Company officials hope to complete construction in Tunica by the end of this year. In the meantime, work is under way to assemble the leadership team for the plant. When completed, salaries at the plant are expected to average about $32,000 a year, with production workers earning about $15 an hour.