Maritime Economic Development: South Louisiana, Virginia

South Louisiana: Pin Oak Terminals Ribbon Cutting for Petroleum Liquid Storage Terminal

An August 14 ribbon-cutting marked the operational startup of a multi-product liquid marine terminal located within the tri-parish jurisdiction of the Port of South Louisiana. The $600 million Pin Oaks Terminal complex of storage terminals, docks and related infrastructure extends along the east bank of the Mississippi River at Mt. Airy, near the St. John the Baptist/St. James parish line.

"The Port of South Louisiana is very proud to have Pin Oak join us," said South Louisiana Port Executive Director Paul Aucoin. "The port has supported the project since the beginning. Pin Oak has assembled a great team and they have been a pleasure to work with. I also admire and appreciate their commitment to the community."

Pin Oak’s services include offloading, storage, heating, blending and transfer of petroleum liquids. Company permits allow construction of up to 10 million barrels of storage and unit-train loops on its 431-acre site, which is accessible by rail, pipeline, barge, ship and truck.

The terminal is beginning operations with one dock, a two-bay truck rack and four tanks with storage capacity for up to 424,000 barrels of refined products and biofuels. The facility enjoys foreign-trade privileges within the Alternative Site Framework of the port’s FTZ No. 24.

"The sky is the limit to local businessmen who have a dream." said Danny Guidry, Pin Oak Terminals’ chief administrative officer. "The beauty is that we can build customized solutions for our customers." When construction nears the end, the terminal will be served by two Class I railroads and will have two Aframax ship docks with the capability to handle 14 barges simultaneously.

The terminal will create more than 70 on-site, full-time company and contractor jobs with an average annual compensation of $60,000, plus benefits. Thirty positions have already been filled. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in an additional 81 new indirect jobs, for a total of more than 150 jobs in the Southeast Region and surrounding areas.

See recent drone view videos of the terminal.

Seven Companies Benefiting from Port’s Economic and Infrastructure Program; Grant Total Exceeds $2 Million

Seven companies are this year’s recipients of grant money from The Port of Virginia® Economic and Infrastructure Development Grant Program. That program is designed to encourage investment, reinvestment and job creation among companies in Virginia that are port users.

In fiscal year 2017, the seven recipients combined to create 1,132 jobs, including 224 new positions at Winchester-based Rubbermaid Commercial Products. Port representatives on August 15 presented a check for $500,000 – the maximum grant allowed – to Rubbermaid’s leadership team.

"The Rubbermaid Commercial Products facility is strategically located in Winchester where, for years, it has been moving its products through the Virginia Inland Port," said John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. "The company’s success is evident and the reinvestment has led to job growth and benefits to the Commonwealth. This grant, we hope, will encourage continued growth for this valued port user."

"As a proud member of the Commonwealth’s business community, we’re thrilled to receive this recognition from the Virginia Port Authority," said Paul Bryant, senior manager of operational excellence for Rubbermaid Commercial Products. "Rubbermaid Commercial Products will continue investing in our hard working and dedicated employees who have distributed and produced high quality products from our facility right here in Virginia since 1968. We thank The Port of Virginia and Winchester community, in particular, and look forward to continuing to serve the community for many years to come."

The recipients of this year’s Economic and Infrastructure Development Grant Program, the jobs created and grants amounts are:

COMPANY	LOCATION	VPA GRANT	JOBS CREATED
Continental Automotive Systems	Newport News	$417,000	139
Friant & Associates LLC	Suffolk	$315,000	105
Haulotte U.S. Inc	Virginia Beach	$35,000	35
Hubbell Lighting, Inc.	Christiansburg	$315,000	105
Rubbermaid	Winchester	$500,000	224
Target Corp.	Suffolk	$500,000	453
Wolverine Advanced Materials	Blacksburg	$91,500	61
SOURCE: The Port of Virginia

The Port of Virginia Economic and Infrastructure Development Grant Program is designed to incentivize certain, qualified companies to build new, or reinvest in existing maritime-related employment centers to encourage and facilitate the growth of the port.

Subject to appropriation, the grant is available from January 1, 2014, until June 30, 2020. The maximum amount of grant allowable per qualified company is $500,000 and the maximum amount of POV Grants allowable among all Qualified Companies in any given fiscal year is $5 million. In fiscal year 2017, the combined total of the grant program is $2.17 million.