Caddo Mountain Spring Water LLC of Hot Springs Village has announced plans for a new $24 million bottling facility in Arkansas.
The 140,000-SF facility, which will eventually expand to more than 200,000 SF, will be located in the Caddo Mountains of Montgomery County and powered by a mounted solar array, the company said in a news release. About 34 jobs will be created.
Founder & CEO Barry Davidson on Friday told Arkansas Business that the company is “dirt ready” to begin construction but hadn’t set a groundbreaking date. He said construction should last about nine months. The startup is not releasing information on its expected bottling capacity for competitive reasons.
Caddo is partnering with Roark Perkins Perry Yelvington Architects of Little Rock on the project, which includes a visitors center at its source water tract along the spring-fed Caddo River. Davidson and RPPY President David Perry envision the center becoming a scenic and educational attraction in a county that has no state park.
“We are confident the Caddo Center will become a sustainable landmark and destination ‘learning place’ in the beautiful Caddo River area of Arkansas,” Perry said in a news release.
The announcement Friday comes after years of fundraising. Davidson said the company is working with “several possible strategic partners” to reach its capital goal but declined to say how much money it’s seeking.
The company previously announced that it had obtained a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Renewable Energy for America Program to build its solar array. It has also received $1 million in economic incentives including a Community Development Block Grant; Advantage Arkansas, which provides a state income tax credit of 1 percent of total payroll; and sales tax refunds on building materials and taxable machinery.
Davidson said the company’s goals go beyond providing quality water.
“We understand the product we make available, how and where we make it available and the market it serves can enhance the health and lives of the people who consume it,” he said in the release. “As well, we believe we can have a major positive social impact on everyone who gains a better knowledge of water, the environment/sustainability, area heritage through education and U.S. advanced manufacturing.”