Port Arthur, a small town on the Tasman Peninsula, Australia is a good place to do business, that’s the message delivered by the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and the message is getting across as Sustainable Composite Technologies a manufacturing company has shown interest to locate in Port Arthur.

Gary Kinley, Sustainable Composite Technologies chairman, indicated in the letter of intent that the company is looking for a site that includes infrastructure access to rail and shipping ports as well as consistent and affordable power and water sources.

Sustainable Composite Technologies Inc. is a company that utilizes raw materials such as fabric remnants from cotton, leather and synthetics to make products such as floor ties which are installed in commercial and industrial buildings, is looking very favorably toward locating in Port Arthur.

The manufacturing company utilizes a unique technology by acquiring raw materials from textile operations all over the world that routinely dispose of their fabric remnants in local landfills or incinerators.

On Monday, the EDC board approved a letter of intent from a new company that would like to locate in Port Arthur and bring upwards to 300 jobs here when fully built up.

In Port Arthur, the company may very well have found the place that will fit its needs.

Orlando Ciramelle, with the Port of Port Arthur, said that the company is planning to utilize available warehouse space that could be turned into a manufacturing facility at the port.

The company plans to invest $5 million in production equipment over the next two years as well as other infrastructure costs, occupancy costs and working capital costs. Overall, the company plans to invest more than $10 million into the Port Arthur facility.

The company also plans to partner with Lamar State College-Port Arthur to train a workforce for jobs that would pay between $15 and $24 per hour.

If successful in Port Arthur, the owners are looking at bringing a larger companion company to Port Arthur. That company, Pure Systems, would import the fibers to Port Arthur, where the material would be manufactured at the Port Arthur Sustainable Composite Technologies facility. Pure Systems would be a $30 million investment, and would bring additional jobs to the area.

It’s a real big deal, the EDC is in the process of helping the company find funding sources to locate here.

Company representatives will be in Port Arthur Tuesday to meet with the Texas Workforce Commission representatives from Austin.