Think of Epes when thinking of Business

U.S. Steel plans multiphase $450 million Sumter County project

Governor Bob Riley and John Goodish, Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer of the United States Steel Corporation, announced Friday the company plans to build a steel facility in Sumter County in Alabama’s Black Belt.

The facility could reach an employment level 235 full-time workers and have an economic impact of $450 million in the Black Belt after the facility has attained full production.

“This project will transform much of the Black Belt in a way nothing else ever has. It will launch these communities toward a brighter future. It will bring a new hope to the families who live there, and its impact will last for generations,” Governor Riley said. “We promised to transform the Black Belt, to help this area reach its full potential, and with US Steel’s help, that promise is being fulfilled.”

The announcement took place during a celebration of accomplishments of the Governor’s Black Belt Action Commission. Governor Riley created the Action Commission to measurably improve the quality of life in Alabama’s Black Belt. The Action Commission is made up of volunteers who have worked in areas including economic development, health care, education and infrastructure.

The steel facility, to be built in Port of Epes in Sumter County, is a carbon alloy synthesis facility and a cogeneration facility that would create 75 full-time and 250 temporary construction jobs in its first phase of operation.