German tire-manufacturing company passes on Alexandria

Alexandria was in the running but missed landing a big economic deal that would have employed hundreds and added millions of annual payroll dollars to central Louisiana, The Town Talk reports. Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret confirmed Thursday that England Airpark in Alexandria was one of three locations that a German company was considering for a tire-manufacturing plant. Continental Tire instead chose a site in South Carolina, where it has its U.S. headquarters, the company announced Thursday. “Of course, our goal is to win projects that bring jobs to our state, not simply be a finalist,” Moret tells the Alexandria newspaper via email. “We continue to work on other major projects that are considering locations in central Louisiana.” The Associated Press reports the plant in South Carolina would cost $500 million, but Moret says he thought “the project scope would be somewhat larger in South Carolina than it was envisioned in Louisiana.” Moret says Continental had a “non-binding agreement to place their new facility in South Carolina. “If South Carolina is unable to quickly finalize and approve that agreement, Continental may reconsider the other two finalists,” in Alexandria and North Carolina, Moret says. Read more in The Town Talk here.