Enviro Tech Chemical Services on Tuesday dedicated its plant at the Helena Harbor in Helena-West Helena, saying it hopes to have 80 workers in place there by the end of the year.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson joined local leaders and company officials for the event.
The private Modesto, California, company first announced it would put a manufacturing facility in Helena-West Helena in October 2011, spending $1.5 million and aiming for 30 jobs. In July 2012, the company said it would expand the facility, investing an additional $4 million and adding up to 40 jobs.
CEO Mike Harvey now says he hopes the company will soon become one of the largest employers in the area. In 2013, he told Arkansas Business his goal is a workforce of around 150.
"Enviro Tech is pleased to have invested in and chosen this area in the great state of Arkansas to begin operations at the Helena Harbor," CEO Mike Harvey said. "We have had wonderful support and collaboration with the representatives of the state and county and especially the team at the Helena Harbor Commission.
"We are grateful for their tireless work on our behalf to make this endeavor possible, and we look forward to growing our presence in the community and hiring many more capable workers from the local area," he said.
Hutchinson said the move will bring "good-paying jobs" the region.
"Enviro Tech understands the value and advantage of locating within the Helena Harbor, which provides direct access to the Mississippi River as well as access to a dedicated local workforce," he said. "We welcome Enviro Tech to Arkansas and look forward to the company growing with us."
Enviro Tech produces peroxyacetic acid and stabilized bromine products at the facility. The acid is used in sanitizing meat and poultry to reduce or eliminate pathogenic organisms such as E. coli and salmonella.
Enviro Tech also has manufacturing facilities in California and Illinois.
