St. Bernard Port, Harbor & Terminal District Enters into Lease Agreement with American Sugar Refining, Inc.
ASR, owner of the Domino® Sugar Chalmette Refinery, recently signed a 10-year lease of an 80,000 square-foot warehouse facility, currently under construction at St. Bernard Port’s Chalmette Terminal with plans to expand in 2022. At the groundbreaking are, from left: Ted Roche, St. Bernard Port, Harbor & Terminal District; Zeljko Franks, Associated Terminals, Sean Warner, Gulf Coast Bank & Trust; Wanda Alcon, St. Bernard Parish Council; Rep. Ray Garofalo, Louisiana House of Representatives District 103; Patrick Meyers Jr., Meyers Warehouse, Inc.; Patrick Meyers Sr., Meyers Warehouse, Inc.; Paul Wangler, American Sugar Refining, Inc.; Drew Heaphy, St. Bernard Port, Harbor & Terminal District Executive Director; Harold Anderson, St. Bernard Port, Harbor & Terminal District; Meaghan McCormack, St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation Executive Director; Thomas Dyer, Kyle Associates, LLC; Matt Peace, Voelkel McWilliam’s Construction; Brenda Ebel, Voelkel McWilliams Construction; Brian Beck, Voelkel McWilliams Construction; and Chris Hnatyshyn, Kyle Associates, LLC.
Operator of the Domino® Sugar Chalmette Refinery is growing its presence in the parish and will utilize space, spur job growth in local area
“The St. Bernard Port, Harbor & Terminal District recently entered into a long-term lease agreement with one of the parish’s largest companies,” said Port Executive Director Drew Heaphy.
American Sugar Refining, Inc. (ASR), a member of ASR Group and owner of the Domino® Sugar Chalmette Refinery, signed a 10-year lease for an 80,000 square-foot warehouse facility at the Port’s Chalmette Terminal.
“Despite the company’s refinery being located less than a mile from the terminal, this agreement is the first of its kind we have made with ASR,” Heaphy said.
ASR will use the warehouse facility, located at 521 Bonita Drive, as storage space for its finished sugar products.
“The St. Bernard Parish community has been incredibly supportive of our operation since we first opened in 1909,” said Paul Wangler, ASR’s Senior Distribution Manager. “Our team is ecstatic to expand Domino® Sugar’s presence in the parish in this new warehouse that will broaden operational capacity.”
Contractors broke ground on the warehouse March 4, and will be laying steel within the next 30 days. The two-part, $4 million project is slated to be complete and operational by 2022.
Meaghan R. McCormack, St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation Executive Director, is excited about the new opportunities brought about by this agreement between the Port and ASR.
“This new partnership will create a positive impact for the community and afford the Port another opportunity to continue being the economic engine that it is,” McCormack said.
St. Bernard Port, along with in tenants and users of its facilities, produce an estimated $325 million in direct and indirect spending annually for the local economy, and create more than 2,000 full-time jobs, often for locals, Heaphy said.
The Port handles millions of tons of bulk, break-bulk and general cargo transfers, to and from thousands of barges and hundreds of cargo ships from around the world.
ASR’s Domino® Sugar Chalmette Refinery, built in 1909, is the largest sugar refinery in the country and employs more than 400 people.
“It’s great to see a business that’s been in St. Bernard for over a hundred years expand operations and consolidate logistics at our facilities,” Heaphy said.
– End –
About St. Bernard Port, Harbor & Terminal District
St. Bernard Port, Harbor & Terminal District is the economic engine of St. Bernard, providing 18% of the jobs in the parish. Located just five miles downriver from downtown New Orleans, the St. Bernard Port, Harbor & Terminal District boasts Arabi and Chalmette Terminals/Industrial Parks, as well as Meraux and Chalmette Mid-Stream Mooring Facilities.
About St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation
St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation (SBEDF) is the official economic development organization of St. Bernard Parish. Our mission is to retain and create jobs, build prosperity, and improve the quality of life for St. Bernard citizens.
About American Sugar Refining, Inc.
American Sugar Refining, Inc. is a subsidiary of ASR Group International, Inc. (ASR Group), the world’s largest refiner and marketer of cane sugar, with an annual production capacity of more than 6 million tons of sugar. The company produces a full line of grocery, industrial, food service and specialty sweetener products. Across North America, ASR Group owns and operates six sugar refineries, located in Louisiana, New York, California, Maryland, Canada and Mexico. In Europe, the company owns and operates sugar refineries in the United Kingdom, Portugal, and, with a joint venture partner, Italy. ASR Group also farms sugarcane and owns sugar mills in Mexico and Belize. The company’s portfolio includes the leading brands Domino®, C&H®, Florida Crystals®, Redpath®, Tate & Lyle®, Lyle’s® and Sidul®. ASR Group is owned by Florida-based cane sugar producers Florida Crystals Corporation and Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida. ASR Group and its parent companies jointly own Tellus Products, LLC, a maker of single-use, compostable tableware and food-service products from sugarcane fiber. For more information, visit www.ASR-Group.com.
