Community Renewal Good Stories - Ouachita Parish

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Louisiana Manufacturing Company Gets Big Boost From RC Incentives

Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, RC

Garrett Manufacturing, LLC, operating under the trade name Luv-n-Care, is a locally owned manufacturing company most widely known for producing baby products sold through Sam's, Wal-Mart, and Disney stores, and exported internationally.

The company received a $3,681,125 CRD allocation in 2002 from the Ouachita Parish RC to build a new 318,000-square-foot manufacturing facility to support the increasing domestic and international demand for its products. The CRD, which allows Garrett to deduct construction costs in the amount of the CRD allocation over just 10 years instead of the typical 39 years, amounts to huge annual savings for the company.

Garrett was able to move its entire shipping operations to the new facility. The centralized location has enabled the company to streamline the shipping process and improve inventory control. The company was also able to replace older equipment in the facility with newer, safer, and more efficient equipment. This increased capacity made it possible for Luv-n-Care to bring in a substantial amount of new business in late 2003 and early 2004. Luv-n-Care was able to hire 18 new employees, partly due to RC employment credits and the increased cash flow from the CRD accelerated depreciation. Currently 55 percent of its employees are RC residents.

Company owner Joseph Hakim is pleased, stating, "The combination of the job credits and the accelerated depreciation programs have positively impacted our business. The RC program will be a prominent part of our hiring decisions. This has been an opportunity that has allowed everyone to win."

For more information on the programs of the Ouachita Parish RC, please contact RC Specialist Liz Pierre at (318) 387-0787.