LITTLE ROCK, AR --
City and state leaders say the vice president of Welspun deserves a hug for what he's done for Arkansas and Little Rock. Company leaders will expand in the capital city, investing a hundred million dollars and adding two hundred jobs."It shows a committment on behalf of the city, the county, the economic development leaders here, the confidence the leaders of Welspun has placed here in Arkansas," said Gov. Beebe.
The company first opened in 2009 to make large pipes for oil and gas transmission. Welspun's workforce swelled but dwindled after President Obama postponed a decision on the Keystone Pipeline project last year.
Half of those pipes would have come from the Little Rock plant.
Leaders hope making smaller pipes will help them rebound.
"If one segment of the business is down, the other segment could be up and we could move our employees around, back and forth," said Dave Delie, President of Welspun Tubular.
Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola said the expansion would have been impossible had not voters supported a sales tax so the city could purchase more land along the port.
But company leaders said it's more than just the easy access to the river, airport, and railroad that drew and has kept Welspun here.
"Arkansas has delivered its promise to provide us with a great workforce and all the resources we needed to make our company the greatest pipe manufacturing company in the world," said Rajesh Chockhani, the company's vice president.
