Friday May 18,
2012
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 120
Partly sunny Today
Tonight
87
61
• Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • 2 sections
Caterpillar plans new logistics facility
Caterpillar Reman Representative Brent McCarty talks about the industry’s plans at Thursday’s announcement.
Caterpillar Logistics Vice President Greg Janssen speaks to the crowd under a tent on South Harper Road.
Investment creates 35 new jobs, total workforce of 115 BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
A new facility for Caterpillar will house warehouse and logistics operations and create 35 jobs over the next three years, officials announced Thursday afternoon. Caterpillar, which has remanufacturing operations in Corinth and Booneville, will invest $7.5 million in new equipment. Jumper Realty is investing $27 million to construct the 540,000-square-foot facility, which will be leased to the manufacturer of earth-moving equipment. The facility on South Harper Road will replace six smaller warehouse and distribution facilities in Alcorn and Prentiss counties which are operated through short-term leases. Eighty existing employees will move from those scattered facilities to the new location, for a total workforce of 115. It will be known as Caterpillar’s Mississippi Logistics Service Center and will be managed by Nicki Rambeau. Gov. Phil Bryant joined local officials to break ground for the facility, which is a project that has been in planning for about two years. He praised the com-
pany’s commitment to its Mississippi operations. “If you’re going to get a bulldozer,” he said, “You say, ‘I really want to get a CAT.’ These big yellow machines out here have moved the world, and now they’re going to help us move Mississippi even further forward.” Mayor Tommy Irwin said the city and county are contributing grant matching funds for infrastructure improvements. “Manpower Road just to the west will be greatly improved to handle the increased truck traffic between Caterpillar facilities,” he said. Board of Supervisors President Lowell Hinton praised the local partnerships that brought the project to fruition. “These jobs are vital to the residents of Alcorn County,” he said. Rambeau said Caterpillar Logistics unloaded 26,000 and loaded 37,000 trucks during the past year. The logistics operation allows the remanufacturing facilities to focus on their core competency, she said. The remanufacturing process takes end-of-life engines back
Staff photos by Steve Beavers
Please see CATERPILLAR | 2A
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant moves symbolic dirt for Caterpillar’s new logistics facility on South Harper Road.
Local kids have chance to become junior rangers BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Corinth’s kids will have the opportunity this weekend to learn about the area’s Civil War history and become Junior Rangers. The Corinth Battlefield Unit of Shiloh National Military Park will host its annual Junior Ranger Day on Saturday. Children between the ages of six and 12 are invited to participate in the special programs, interact with park rangers and become Junior Rangers. “It’s to give kids a chance to get more involved with specific sites of the National Park Service and a way for them to do hands-on activities that will help them understand. The day’s events will include an infantry Staff photo by Bobby J. Smith Park Ranger Rachel Winters and Seasonal Park Ranger Sarah Burks get program in which kids will learn how to crafty preparing for Saturday’s Junior Ranger Day at the Corinth Civil War Inter- load and fire a Civil War-era rifle. Junior Rangers will also learn about the Stream of pretive Center.
Index Stocks...... 7A Classified......6B Comics......5B Wisdom......4B
Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports......8A
American History, where engraved stone and flowing water tell the story of the birth and growth of the United States, the rise of sectionalism, important events leading to the Civil War and a symbolic representation of the four years of war. Another program will focus on the sidewalk outside the Interpretive Center, where bronze sculptures represent the detritus of war. The program “Letters Home” will look at the way soldiers of the era communicated with their friends and families through written correspondence. The Junior Ranger Day activities will take place at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center from 10 a.m. until noon. Registration is recommended due to limited space. Contact the Interpretive Center at 2879273 to register.
On this day in history 150 years ago Gen. Beauregard creates a “badge of merit” to be given to those officers and private soldiers “who shall greatly distinguish himself in any engagement with the enemy.” The badge is to have inscribed the name of the battle in which it was won.
Now Open AT OUR NEW LOCATION
3714 Highway 72 West, Corinth, MS 38834
Call to schedule an appointment: Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
(662) 293-1575