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Manufacturing of Refrigerated Transport Containers to Employ Port Arthur Residents

Ken Broussard holds the rights to 22 U.S. patents. And the federal government has taken an interest in his latest invention. The Department of Homeland Security and Department of Health and Human Services both secured contracts with Broussard’s company, Climate Controlled Containers Inc., to purchase his one-of-a-kind invention: a self-sustained, refrigerated transport container that can travel by truck, rail, sea and air. What will the government store in what Broussard has dubbed “The Cold Box”? Anthrax vaccines, he said. Broussard has been working on this shipping container that operates on “high tech batteries” and can maintain its temperature within one degree for more than 12 years now. And his hard work has finally come to fruition in his hometown. With the help of the Port Arthur Economic Development Corporation, Climate Controlled Containers will train and employ Port Arthur residents to perform the high-skilled, technical jobs that the company requires. There are about 20 different positions for which training would be offered, Broussard said. Overall, Climate Controlled Containers planned to hire 100 new employees, each of whom would be screened carefully by Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas, Broussard said. Out of that 100 workers, 75 would be from Port Arthur as part of the EDC’s agreement with the company. Per the agreement, approved by the City of Port Arthur and the EDC, the EDC would reimburse the company 50 percent of the cost to train new employees up to $250,000, said Floyd Batiste, CEO of the EDC. The contract is for a five-year period. The annual average salary of the new employees would be $32,500, according to documents obtained by an open records request. Some of the skills required would be robotics operation, assembly, robotics welding and inside sales, Broussard said. It would take about nine weeks to train each employee for this semiclassified job. Employees would sign nondisclosure agreements due to the sensitive nature of the company’s shipping business with clients like the federal government. The agreement also states that the EDC would provide the company with $400,000 to purchase manufacturing equipment in addition to the employee training reimbursement, according to documents obtained via open records request. But that is not all of the assistance Climate Controlled Containers received. The U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded the city with a $1 million grant in March to help rehabilitate the former Texas National Guard Armory on 57th Street, where the containers will be made. The project was expected to create 100 jobs and generate $10 million in private investments for Southeast Texas. John Hall, consultant for the city, secured the grant from the EDA. “It’s a win-win for the City of Port Arthur,” Batiste said. In an economy dominated by the oil and gas industry, the manufacturing of “The Cold Box” would present Port Arthur with an opportunity to diversify the area economy, Batiste said. The skills employees would learn are valuable, transferable skills, and the product has the potential to be used in every corner of the world. “It was amazing why it took so long to make this happen,” Batiste said about “The Cold Box.”

The shipping container truly is the first one of its kind, Broussard said. The self-contained, refrigerated transport container eliminates the need for refrigerated transport trucks, which leads to greener transportation. Broussard has been working with the Federal Aviation Administration for about five years to ensure that the container can travel safely by air. And the container itself is reusable and recyclable.

But for Broussard, who never went to college, “The Cold Box” was just the latest development in a long line of developments. “It’s just what I do,” he said. email: [email protected] twitter: @broocrum

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Climate Controlled Containers to take over Port Arthur Armory for Refrigerated Shipping and Frozen Transport Shippers

[source website]

Port Arthur armory gets $1 million revamp; to create 100 jobs

The U.S. Department on Commerce on Wednesday announced it was awarding a $1 million Economic Development Administration grant to the city of Port Arthur and its Economic Development Corporation to help renovate the former Texas National Guard Armory.

The grant will support the construction of a new manufacturing center in the 26,000-square-foot building at 3451 57th St., according to a news release from the Commerce Department.

Climate Controlled Containers, Inc. will take over the space, the news release said, and has pledged to hire 75 percent of its workforce from the Port Arthur area to manufacture their alternative refrigerated shipping and frozen transport solution.

The project is expected to create 100 jobs and generate $10 million in private investments for Southeast Texas, according to grantee estimates.

Former City Manager Steve Fitzgibbons said in January that the city applied for a $2.4 million economic development grant to help pay for a building remodel. The grant required a $1 million match, he said.

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Read More: https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Port-Arthur-armory-gets-1-million-revamp-to-3442136.php#ixzz2920a2Rlc

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Commerce Department Invests $1 Million to Support Manufacturing Center in Southeast Texas

[source website]

WASHINGTON – U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson today announced a $1 million Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant to the city of Port Arthur and the Port Arthur Economic Development Corporation of Port Arthur, Texas, to help rehabilitate a former Texas National Guard Armory for use as a state-of-the-art manufacturing center. The project is expected to create 100 jobs and generate $10 million in private investments for southeast Texas, according to grantee estimates.


“This $1 million EDA investment in Texas is an example of the Obama Administration’s commitment to supporting American manufacturers and increasing their ability to make their goods here and sell them everywhere,” Bryson said. “The grant announced today will support the establishment of a new manufacturing facility in Port Arthur that will create new jobs and support an economy built to last.” 


The EDA investment will support the construction of the new facility through local public-private collaboration with the project beneficiary, Climate Controlled Containers, Inc., which has pledged to hire 75 percent of its workforce from the Port Arthur area. 


Under Secretary Bryson’s leadership, the Commerce Department is focused on three areas to help create more American jobs: supporting advanced manufacturing, helping U.S. companies increase exports, and encouraging more companies to invest in or expand operations in the U.S. Bryson co-chairs the White House Office of Manufacturing Policy , which is coordinating government-wide efforts to support and strengthen America’s manufacturing sector, especially advanced manufacturing. 


About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov) The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the Federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation’s regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term, sustainable economic growth.

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PA New Home for Climate Controlled Containers, a Refrigerated Shipping Solution

[source website]

City receives $1 million grant to retrofit Armory building

Sherry Koonce The Port Arthur News

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