PRESS RELEASE
Module X Solutions Announces 357-Job Expansion in Shreveport
Project will result in 930 new direct and indirect jobs upon completion
Watch Press Conference Announcement
SHREVEPORT, La. — Today, Gov. Bobby Jindal and Module X Solutions CEO Steve Schoonover announced the company will make a $7.4 million capital investment and create 357 new direct jobs at a 750,000-square-foot Shreveport manufacturing facility. Module X Solutions LLC will join existing tenant MB Industries LLC at the City of Shreveport-owned industrial property, with Module X Solutions chiefly manufacturing modular buildings for the telecommunications sector while supporting MB Industries production of protective building systems for the industrial, government, commercial and residential markets.
The average salary for the 357 new direct jobs will be more than $49,800 per year, plus benefits. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in an additional 578 new indirect jobs, for a total of more than 930 new jobs in the Northwest Region and surrounding areas. MB Industries also will retain 109 existing employees as part of the project, and renovation work at the Shreveport site will create an additional 50 construction jobs.
Gov. Jindal said, “Louisiana has the lowest unemployment rate in the South and we have set a record for the number of people working in our state. This economic growth is due to our outstanding workforce and our hard work improving our state’s business climate, and today we’re proud that Module X Solutions is joining the long list of companies that are expanding operations in Louisiana. The Northwest Region offers a quality business environment, and we are thrilled that hundreds of families in the Shreveport-Bossier City area will benefit from the quality jobs created by this expansion for years to come.”
In addition to the capital improvements at the 35-acre industrial property, Module X Solutions will seek a long-term lease of the site that is subject to final approval by the Shreveport City Council. The company will begin filling the new jobs immediately and complete renovation work by the end of 2015.
“We are excited about serving a wide array of customers with top-quality, high-value modular buildings and complexes manufactured to exacting standards,” Schoonover said. “Module X Solutions is starting out in a diversified fashion with customers in many industries including telecommunications, solar energy, utilities and refineries, as well as supporting multiple government agencies, including the U.S. State Department. Manufactured locally and deployed both domestically and internationally, our product lines encompass concrete, metal and blast-resistant modular structures. We are excited about creating hundreds of new manufacturing jobs, and are truly appreciative of the support and commitments we have received from the Louisiana Economic Development team, the North Louisiana Economic Partnership, and Mayor Glover and the Shreveport city administration.”
LED’s Business Expansion and Retention Group began project discussions with Module X Solutions in November. To secure the expansion project, the State of Louisiana offered the company a competitive incentive package that includes a $1.8 million performance-based grant and a $1.8 million Economic Development Award Program grant, with both incentives dedicated to funding improvements of publicly owned infrastructure at the City of Shreveport manufacturing site. Module X Solutions will receive the comprehensive solutions of LED FastStart®, the nation’s No. 1-ranked state workforce training program, and the company is expected to utilize the state’s Quality Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs.
“We’re excited to see this major expansion happen in the heart of our city, and the prospect of bringing more than 350 new direct jobs to Shreveport in such a short time period is simply outstanding,” Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover said.
“The new business venture led by Module X Solutions more than triples the existing workforce of the company. The 357 additional jobs really boost Shreveport’s economy,” said President Scott Martinez of the North Louisiana Economic Partnership.
Module X Solutions will hire 274 new employees by the end of 2015 and complete hiring for all 357 new positions in 2019.
About Module X Solutions
With decades of highly successful experience as an industry leader in modular building systems, Module X Solutions produces state-of-the-art shelters customized to protect private and public sector employees, equipment and processes. Module X Solutions is based in Shreveport, Louisiana, with global reach in the production of secure, stable, protective shelters, strengthened by an engineering technology alliance with MB Industries.
