Railcar, barge supplier announces $16M expansion in Arkansas

 11/11/2011 emailed photo courtesy of American Railcar

An American Railcars employee in Paragould works on the bottom of a railcar used to transport sand used in hydraulic fracturing.
11/11/2011 emailed photo courtesy of American Railcar An American Railcars employee in Paragould works on the bottom of a railcar used to transport sand used in hydraulic fracturing.

international supplier of railcars and marine barges is spending $16 million to expand an Arkansas facility and is adding at least 35 new jobs.

Greenbrier Companies Inc. on Wednesday announced the expansion at its facility in Marmaduke, where it currently employs 850 workers. The Oregon-based company announced in April it was acquiring American Railcar Industries, and that acquisition was completed last month.

ARI opened its hopper railcar assembly factory in Paragould in 1995 and opened its Marmaduke facility four years later to produce tank railcars.

The Arkansas Economic Development Commission says the expansion is receiving $300,000 in Community Development Block Grants, along with sales tax refunds and income tax credits.

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