An Ohio-based company announced plans Wednesday to bring a new solar panel manufacturing facility to Jeff Davis Parish.

Ice Industries, an industrial manufacturer and supplier, plans to invest $6 million to expand the former Zagis USA cotton spinning plant located at the Lacassine Industrial Park. The company will produce roll forming steel back rails for photovoltaic (PV) solar panels.

The company is set to begin installation of new equipment into the retrofitted 150,000-square-foot facility in October and hopes to start production in early 2025. It will create 70 direct jobs with an average annual salary of more than $53,000. 

Additionally, the project is expected to result in 142 indirect new jobs, for a total of 212 potential new jobs in the Southwest region, according to the Louisiana Economic Development.

“The Jeff Davis Police Jury is thrilled to welcome Ice Industries to our parish,” Police Jury President Steve Eastman said in a press release. “Their arrival will revitalize the Zagis building in the Lacassine Industrial Park, which will boost our local economy and provide empowerment opportunities for parish residents.”

 

The Lacassine facility will employ a process that converts sheet metal into engineered shapes using consecutive sets of mated rolls, called roll forming, to manufacture steel back rails for PV solar panels. The new Ice Industries Louisiana facility complements a similar operation in Bowling Green, Ohio, that also provides high quality roll formed products to the solar energy market.

Eastman said the parish looks forward to a long and prosperous partnership with Ice Industries. He further thanked Jeff Davis Parish Economic Development Commission President and CEO Creed Romano, his team and the Louisiana Economic Development for their efforts in bringing Ice Industries to the parish.

“On behalf of the board of directors, I am proud to welcome Ice Industries to our parish, our state and our Jeff Davis Parish family,” Romano said. “This has been a true team effort, and I extend my thanks to LED Secretary Bourgeois, Rafael Zaga Saba, Ronnie Petree and Rep. Troy Romero for their support in securing this exciting project. Ice Industries’ investment revitalizes a key industrial asset in Louisiana and brings valuable jobs and economic growth to our community. We are committed to supporting them as they advance solar manufacturing here, and we look forward to the positive impact their presence will have on our local economy for years to come.”

Jeff Davis Parish Economic Development Commission Chairman Ronnie Petree said the project is a big win for the parish and that he is looking forward to more exciting news coming soon for the area.

“We are always excited when we can announce a new business in this parish to help our economy, but we never lose sight that we will do what we can to retain and expand those businesses that have supported our parish,” Petree said. “We always give thanks to the good Lord for those blessings he has already bestowed upon us, but we also say thanks to him in advance for the ones he is about to deliver to us in the future. (It) Looks like he is getting ready with this announcements to start answering those prayers.”

The Lacassine project is the second one in Louisiana for Ice Industries. which was awarded a long-term contract supplying components to its Iberia Parish facility in January. The project is expected to create over 70 direct new jobs in Acadiana.

“This announcement is a testament to how Louisiana’s all-of-the-above energy strategy is driving new investment and creating opportunities in both emerging and legacy sectors,” LED Secretary Susan B. Bouregois said. “The attraction of innovative companies and their suppliers has set up the state’s world-class manufacturing workforce for continuing success as they strengthen the domestic supply chain. We are proud to welcome Ice Industries to Louisiana and look forward to the years of prosperity to come.”

“Following the successful collaboration with First Solar that resulted in the founding of Ice Industries Bowling Green, we are excited to further develop our partnership with an American company that is a global industry leader in the production of PV panels,” Ice Industries Founder, Chairman and CEO Howard Ice said. “Dovetailing with both the United States’ increasing focus and investment in clean energy technology and Ice’s strategy of geographic and market diversity, Ice Industries Louisiana represents a strategic investment in both the company and our country’s manufacturing base.”

LED offered the company an incentives package that included a $380,000 Economic Development Award Program forgivable loan for site development and infrastructure improvements, subject to approval by the Louisiana Economic Development Corporation board. The company is also expected to participate in the state’s Industrial Tax Exemption and Quality Jobs programs.