Pepsi Beverages Co. has opened a new warehouse distribution center in Livingston Parish, potentially bringing upwards of 200 new direct jobs to the parish.
The 140,000-square-foot distribution center was built on 15 acres just off La. 63, not far from Epic Piping’s fabrication plant and headquarters.
Livingston Economic Development Council President David Bennett says the distribution center is Pepsi’s only warehouse distribution center in south Louisiana.
“It couldn’t come at a much better time,” he says. “… That area is really starting to grow.”
Combined, the Pepsi and Epic facilities are expected to create some 750 jobs in the parish within a five-year period, Bennett adds.
News about a beverage company moving into Livingston Parish with a bottling distribution center was first reported in 2015, but confidentiality agreements prevented those with knowledge of the project from revealing the identity of the company.
“The days, weeks and months leading up to the unveiling have brought some unexpected events—the great flood, for instance. So, this announcement is an emotional one for our community,” says Livingston Parish President Layton Ricks in a prepared statement. “We are so proud and so grateful for the companies that have stayed the course because they see the potential and vivacity of Livingston Parish, even in the wake of disaster.”
