By Pat Culverhouse
Fibrebond has already established itself as a national leader in the data center construction market, but an additional 297,000 sq. ft. addition to its Minden campus will move the company ahead even farther in the field, President/CEO Graham Walker said Thursday.
Walker was speaking to a group of state and local officials and dignitaries gathered at the company’s construction site to celebrate his company’s $50 million investment in a new M3 facility.
“We have diversified in business. We realized in 2022 we had an opportunity to scale our machine up, and this 297,000 square foot facility is going to be the final chapter in our expansion plan,” Walker told a group of state and local officials and dignitaries gathered at the construction site.
“Over this three-year plan, we’ve invested over $100 million into our Minden campus. We will be the unquestioned national leader in data center construction,” he said.
Over a 15-month period, Walker said Fibrebond has added 180 direct jobs with contractors and sub-contractors putting another 100 jobs on the books. Added to the more than 600 already employed by the company, “…about 900 people come to this job site. That’s not a promise, it’s already happened,” he said.
About 90 percent of the work completed at Fibrebond finds its way to destinations across the nation, Walker said.
“The units you see on the ground here are going to Washington state, Oregon, Virginia, New Jersey, Illinois, Texas, Arizona and, hopefully soon, to Louisiana,” he said. “We build scale here, simplify the process here because we can build a great team here. We work hard and without this team work force, this would not have been possible.”
Louisiana’s Secretary of Economic Development, Susan Bourgeois, said her visit to Fibrebond represented her first announcement as Gov. Jeff Landry’s new appointee. The success of Fibrebond and its expansion, she said, is an example of the fundamental difference in this governor’s culture and philosophy for her department.
“We know it’s important to chase big shiny things, the whales, but we have to be better at making sure the industries, legacies, the families that built the economy of this state are the ones this department pays as much attention to. This is an incredible example of that,” Bourgeois said.
Bourgeois pointed to an important ingredient to the success of businesses like Fibrebond and others in the state.
“If we can package and brand the quality and value of the work force in Louisiana, no one else has it,” she said. “Your work force is an example of that. And, your ability to take a legacy company and pivot to lead Louisiana into the next generation. We appreciate the investment you’ve made to make the state, Minden, the region better.”
Host of the event, Justin Dixon, President/CEO of North Louisiana Economic Partnership, told the group the unanimous support of all local public officials and public bodies was a key component in the economic development on display at the Fibrebond site.
“You should all be very proud of your leadership,” he said. “This is why Louisiana is moving in a new direction.”
Minden Mayor Nick Cox referred to a lightning strike which had earlier hit the ground in a group of trees less than a quarter of a mile across the construction site.
“Even the lightening understands the energy of Fibrebond,” he quipped. “This project is a milestone in our community’s economic development. This fifty million dollar additional investment shows a lot of faith in the hardworking people of Minden and the surrounding areas.”
Cox said several years ago, Fibrebond was the topic of conversation, with some wondering about the future of the company. After $100 million in expansion investments, that future is no longer in doubt, he said.
“They’re a beacon of hope and growth. We’re grateful Mr. Walker is willing to invest in Minden, Webster Parish and Louisiana,” Cox said. “It’s a big win for Fibrebond and north Louisiana, but this is a benefit to each and every citizen of Minden.”
