A high profile industrial announcement less than three months ago is dead in the water and will not be building boats in Coahoma County.
Amid much fanfare, Connor Industries announced it plans May 17 to expand production and build a new plant near the banks of the Mississippi River in Coahoma County. The plan was for Connor Industries – under the name of Stanley Boats – to construct a factory to build utility boats and to bring 56 jobs to the region.
Rumors that Stanley Boats was backing out of the alleged deal it had with the Coahoma County Economic Development Authority and Industrial Foundation swept through the community last week.
That the deal had fallen through was confirmed in a letter obtained by the Clarksdale Press Register from Crossroads Economic Partnership and Jon Levingston, dated Tuesday, July 23.
In that letter, Levingston said Bill Connor contacted him Friday afternoon and said “he and his management team reassessed our project and they have decided to end it.”
The letter went on to say Stanley Boats will “focus on the expansion of its facility up north that will produce U.S. Navy vessels instead of spending additional funds on a new manufacturing facility in Mississippi.”
Connor Industries was founded by Bill Connor over 35 years ago, and is headquartered in Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada. The Coahoma County project was to be the company’s first expansion outside of Canada.
Levingston expressed his disappointment and pointed out the project had a site, a builder for the plant had been acquired and Crossroads Economic Partnership – through Coahoma EDA and the Industrial Foundation – had worked to provide a surveyor, attorney and environmental firm for the project.
“Additionally, we secured the commitment of a bank for financing the project,” Levingston said, “developed an agreement with the Yazoo Mississippi Levee Board in order to build the road over the levee; and begun the work necessary to secure permitting for construction from the Army Corps of Engineers as well as the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.”
Connor Industries had even purchased a 53-acre site off Highway 1 and planned to build boats at its plant on the dry side of the Mississippi River Levee, move them across the levee and float them, and possibly transport them, on the Mississippi River. The location next to the river was promoted as a big factor in the company deciding to locate in Mississippi.
The county received four grants totaling approximately $4.7 million to fund the construction of the road over the levee as well as improvements to a nearby road adjacent to the plant property. Grants included approximately $2.2 million from the Delta Regional Authority, approximately $2.1 million from the Economic Development Administration of the U.S. Commerce Department and $400,000 from the State of Mississippi. The project was to receive $50,000 through Cooperative Energy, of which Coahoma Electric Power Association is a member.
Connor Industries’ financial contribution to the project was to exceed $8 million.
While the county has expended no funds on the project, they will probably have to turn down the grants.
The project began more than three years ago and soon became a poorly kept secret. Funding was initially announced as part of several economic development projects across the state more than a year ago. The project also hit a snag with the purchase of the property that changed numbers in paperwork.
At the May announcement Crossroads Economic Partnership Executive Director Jon Levingston said, with the help of James Curcio, of North Delta Planning and Development, the project pivoted to a new funding source.
Connor Industries, under the trademark brand name Stanley https://stanleyboats.ca , specializes in welded aluminum commercial vessels, servicing federal, state, and local governments’ needs for superior marine response vessels.
A crowd of more than 250 people gathered at The Pinnacle on the campus of Coahoma Community College Friday to hear the announcement.
Mississippi Development Authority Executive Director Bill Cork said he was impressed with the turnout and it was one of the largest he had seen for an industrial announcement.
“First you must have political alliances, which are so critical to the development of economic projects,” said Cork. “You must also have top talent who can tell your story.”
The announcement of Connor Industries coming to Coahoma County was even referenced by Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, in his speech to the Delta Council at its Annual Meeting on June 7.
Malouf Construction, out of Greenville was slated to handle much of the construction.
Details about the people and organization involved in this project can be found at crossroadseconomicpartnership.com.
