A new, $2.4 billion aluminum manufacturing complex will bring nearly 1,500 jobs to Pineville.

American Specialty Alloys will build its first production facility manufacturing aluminum alloy for the automotive and aerospace industries on the former site of an International Paper mill off La. Highway 107. ASA expects to break ground later this year, with a targeted completion date of all facilities in 2020.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ANNOUNCEMENT VIDEO

The facility, as well as facilities for corporate partners to support the mill's operations, are expected to employ a total of 1,450 people at an average salary of about $70,000.

"Obviously, we're excited in Pineville," said Pineville Mayor Clarence Fields. "Hopefully, we've positioned ourselves to be able to accommodate all the needs that are going to be coming quite fast."

"This is the largest economic development announcement in our history," said Central Louisiana Economic Development Alliance Vice President Rick Ranson. "We don't want it to stay the largest, but right now it's the biggest thing we've ever done."

Building the mill is expected to generate about 2,000 construction jobs.

When it's done, ASA is expected to employ about 850 people at the complex. Supporting partner facilities at the complex providing services including materials sourcing, fabrication and logistics are expected to employ an additional 600 workers.

Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will create an additional 2,600 indirect jobs.

Fields credited partners including CLEDA, LED, Cleco Corp. and the Red River Waterway Commission for "creating the atmosphere and environment that attracted this company."

"We look forward to welcoming American Specialty Alloys and its campus partners to Central Louisiana," said CLEDA President and CEO Jim Clinton. "The decision by ASA to locate here is transformative for the region and would not have been possible without great partners."

American Specialty Alloys is a startup that is counting on greater demand from vehicle manufacturers for lighter metals in place of steel in order to meet federally mandated fuel economy standards. The mill in Pineville is expected to produce about 1.3 billion pounds of aluminum annually, mainly for car and truck side-panels, doors, hoods and unibody frames.

ASA announced plans in November 2014 to build a "mill of the future" that would focus on "a highly trained workforce, robotic technology for efficient production, and advanced pollution control systems for an extremely low environmental footprint."

At the time, Mississippi was considered the favorite to land the project (ASA is headquartered in Columbus, Miss.). Pineville secured the project over competing sites in Mississippi, Alabama and Texas.

The state has promised ASA an incentive package that includes a performance-based grant of $34 million to offset site-related infrastructure costs, payable in installments upon the company meeting capital investment and payroll targets. The company is also expected to utilize state programs for workforce development and tax exemptions.

"We spent considerable time and resources looking at potential candidates across the Southern states, a strategic area for our operations, suppliers and customers," said Roger Boggs, ASA's founder, chairman and chief executive officer. "Our needs were specific, based on our project budget, requirements and constraints. We studied many factors essential to the project success, including property characteristics, community engagement, workforce readiness and the quality and support of local service providers. In Louisiana, we found a high level of coordination and cooperation among state agencies and with local site-service providers. We found the site — actually the home — for ASA's first ultra-clean, advanced, automated, fully integrated flex mill and mega-site campus."

Interestingly, Ranson said, paper mill workers are well suited to the type of production work that will be done at the aluminum mill.

"When the IP mill closed several years ago, we pledged that we would work on securing a project that would bring good jobs back to that location," Gov. Bobby Jindal said. "We are excited that ASA has announced plans to invest in Central Louisiana and take advantage of Louisiana's strong business climate and world-class workforce. We'll continue working with the company as it prepares to break ground on this facility and help connect our people with great jobs."