Two U. S. Congressmen Attend as Forty New Jobs Come to Winston County

Two of Mississippi's U.S. Congressmen were in Louisville on Monday for a groundbreaking ceremony for a new industry and employer in our community. Congressman Gregg Harper and Congressman Alan Nunnelee along with representatives from Senator Thad Cochran's & Senator Roger Wicker's offices as well as a representative from Governor Bryant's Office were in town to participate in the ceremony for the facility that should bring a number of jobs to the community.
Construction should begin soon on Louisville Rail Car, Inc (LRC) on Railroad Avenue. LRC will repair and refurbish rail cars near the existing transload facility. Owners, Ronald and Beverly McDevitt of Meridian will make a substantial investment in the property which has also received Community Development Block Grants of $600,000 and ARC grants of $200,000 through the combined efforts of the Winston County Economic Development Partnership (WCEDP) and the City of Louisville and Winston County. The grant money will predominantly be used for infrastructure for needed switches and track. Once in operation, LRC should provide about 40 local jobs with needs for trained personnel in aluminum welding and paint specialists.

Dignitaries braved the winter weather to participate in the groundbreaking. Local officials including State Senator Giles Ward, Supervisor Larry Duran and Mayor Will Hill joined Harper, Nunnelee and Russ Nowell from Governor Bryant's Office in thanking the McDevitt's and recognizing personnel from the different agencies (including Gerald Mills, Martha Mills and Linda Skelton of WCEDP) that have worked to bring the facility to Louisville. Senator Ward noted that the occasion may have been the only time in Winston County history when two sitting U.S. Congressmen were involved in a local event. See the full slideshow of the event by clicking here.

McDevitts flanked by Harper & Nunnelee display the $200,000 ARC Grant