Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Plant to Open

Economically, 1995 was a good year for Clark County, making it one of the top stories of the year as Polycarbon announced plans to locate in the Clark County Industrial Park.

During meetings of the Clark County Industrial Council, president Percy Malone said an industrial prospect was interested in the CCIC's spec building in the park. Who the prospect was was kept secret until the final days when Polycarbon, a California-based graphite company, announced its plans to locate in the county.

He said the company would initially hire about 50 workers, should it locate in the park. Representatives from Polycarbon were given tours around Clark County to show what was available and what the county had to offer.

The company liked what it saw and kept Clark County in the running. Malone informed the CCIC board the county was a finalist with Tennessee during its September meeting.

He told the board the company was asking the CCIC to finish out the spec building and lease it to them if they decided to move to Arkansas. Malone said this posed no problem as the CCIC could apply for a low-interest loan from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (ADFA). The board agreed, and ultimately gave Malone authority to do what was necessary to attract the company to Arkadelphia.

Polycarbon, Malone said, is the second largest graphite manufacturing company in the world. He said the company would pay above average wages and offer a good benefit package to its workers -- most of who would be hired locally.

Malone's efforts paid off as Polycarbon formally announced its decision to locate in Arkadelphia in October. The plant willmake insulation and gaskets for the automotive industry.

In late November, members of the Clark County Quorum Court passed resolutions to help the company reach its deadline of six months to be operational.

The main resolution was to create an enterprise zone for the company so it could benefit from the state's Enterprise Zone Program Regulations of 1993. This primarily means the company qualifies for certain incentives if they meet specific guidelines, which Polycarbon does.

The company plans to be operational by May, and has taken steps to insure everything is in place so it can meet its self-imposed deadline. In fact, Polycarbon began accepting applications submitted to the Employment Security Division in Arkadelphia in mid-November.