Danos Selects Port Of Iberia For New Manufacturing Facility

NEW IBERIA, La. — Today, Gov. Bobby Jindal and Danos President and CEO Hank Danos announced the company’s selection of the Port of Iberia for a new $23.2 million manufacturing facility, which will create 100 new direct jobs with an average annual salary of $65,000, plus benefits. The announcement accompanies today’s approval of a 40-acre lease for the project by the port’s board of commissioners. Danos will build a 172,000-square-foot facility slated for completion in September 2015.

The Danos manufacturing facility represents a key portion of a larger expansion announced by the company in May 2013. Danos also will build a new headquarters facility in the Bayou Region of Louisiana, and together the headquarters and manufacturing facilities will represent a more than $30 million capital investment with 426 new direct jobs created over the next five years. LED estimates the entire project will result in an estimated 871 new indirect jobs, for a total of nearly 1,300 new jobs in the Bayou and Acadiana regions of the state.

Gov. Jindal said, “Danos is a major economic driver in Louisiana, and its decision to reinvest in our state represents a tremendous vote of confidence in Louisiana’s outstanding business climate, workforce and infrastructure. We’re proud that one of our leading oil and gas technology companies believes in the central role that Louisiana plays in the production of deepwater oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico and beyond. With companies like Danos, Louisiana’s reputation as an innovative oil and gas leader will continue to grow and shape this vital industry. This project will provide high-quality jobs and great career opportunities for the people of our state for many years to come.”

With the expansion, Danos will retain 400 existing land-based jobs in Louisiana and create 200 construction jobs. The company also will maintain fabrication operations at its current headquarters site in Larose, La., where Danos was founded in 1947. In New Iberia, Danos will build offshore-bound production modules, as well as structural and process piping products, for the oil and gas industry. The Port of Iberia’s strategic location with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico will expedite product deliveries to all offshore locations, company officials said.

“Danos is thrilled to be in position to commence construction of a world-class manufacturing complex in Louisiana,” said Eric Danos, the company’s executive vice president. “We looked across the Gulf Coast and found a site close to home in New Iberia with the right infrastructure and a talented workforce. This new Danos facility will allow us to continue to build on a long legacy of partnering with major oil and gas operators to solve complex energy challenges.” 

Launching a modest crew boat company more than 66 years ago, Danos attracted Gulf Oil (now Chevron) in its first year of existence and still retains the company as a customer today. Danos evolved into one of the largest oilfield service companies in the Gulf of Mexico region with a continual focus on safety and execution. The company works with all major energy producers in the Gulf today, aligning its services with operators from the pre-commissioning phase of major developments through the construction and operation phases.

LED’s Business Expansion and Retention Group, or BERG, worked with Danos to identify growth opportunities within Louisiana. To secure the headquarters and manufacturing project, the state offered Danos a customized incentive package that includes a performance-based, $1.5 million Economic Development Award Program grant to provide infrastructure improvements for the new manufacturing location. The state also will provide the comprehensive workforce solutions of LED FastStart^®, the nation’s No. 1 state workforce development training program. In addition, Danos is expected to utilize Louisiana’s Quality Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs.

“The announcement by Danos that it is building its new facility here is great news for Iberia Parish and its communities,” Iberia Parish President Errol “Romo” Romero said. “Projects like these create good quality jobs for our citizens and prove, once again, that Iberia Parish is the right place for business.”

At the Port of Iberia, Danos will lease 39.74 acres for the manufacturing facility on a waterfront tract of the port’s new 108-acre Millennium Expansion project on the eastern end of the 2,000-acre port complex. Construction of the Danos facility will begin in September 2014, with hiring starting in March 2015.

“The Port Commission and I are excited Danos has chosen the Port of Iberia for their new fabrication facility,” port Executive Director Roy Pontiff said. “We know the site selection competition was fierce, and we credit our world-class workforce for tipping the location decision in our favor. We look forward to developing a long-term relationship with Danos, and know that they will take their oil and gas construction business to the next level here in Iberia Parish.”

“Danos is a well-respected, growing company, and we know they could have chosen just about anywhere to locate this new facility,” said President and CEO Mike Tarantino of the Iberia Industrial Development Foundation. “It says a lot for our port and our workforce that we were ultimately selected. We appreciate the Danos family’s decision to invest in Iberia Parish, and we look forward to welcoming them to our community.”

About Danos
For more than 60 years, Danos has served as a strategic partner to oil and gas operators across the globe. Decades of industry experience and consistent performance have helped Danos become one of the most-respected names in production asset management. From specialized workforce support to construction and fabrication, Danos provides the resources to deliver consistent operating results. Through an unequaled commitment to safety and well-being in the field, Danos ensures limited downtime, increased production and a greater overall value to customers. For more information, visit www.danos.com.