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Overview • Demographics • Industry Base • Employers

OVERVIEW
The economy of Morehouse Parish was built upon the strengths it provides to the community including its people, businesses, work force, education system, low cost of living and transportation system as well as the agriculture and timber base of natural resources. 

For years the parish was dependent upon its largest employer, International Paper, yet still attracted a diverse group of industries because of its strengths and approach to economic development.  Parish and local officials have been able to attract small and medium sized businesses that are building a solid foundation for future economic growth.

Represented industries in Morehouse Parish:  

• Specialty chemicals
• Plastic automotive parts
• Plastic injection molding
• Wood molding
• Industrial fabrication and maintenance
• Transportation/warehousing. 

DEMOGRAPHICS
Like many other parishes located outside of a major metropolitan area, Morehouse Parish also has utilized the resources of Louisiana’s Northeast Region (Caldwell, Franklin, Jackson, Lincoln, Morehouse, Ouachita, Richland and Union), an 8-parish area that provides a 137,000-person labor force.  

INDUSTRY BASE

Plastic Automotive Parts
Jireh Plastic & Assemblies, L.L.C., was started and developed by local resident, Tim Daniels, to support the automotive manufacturing industry. Jireh was established January, 2000 and has since established itself as a quality plastic injection molding company with a production system modeled after Toyota. 

Jireh has been successful not only because of the way Daniels’ operates his business, but because of the access to markets, lower cost of doing business, and the skilled workforce available for him to train into his specific production.   Others too can benefit. 

Industrial Fabrication and Maintenance
Though manufacturing in America has declined in recent years, the industry is relatively strong in the parish and region, especially in fabrication and galvanizing.   Small and medium sized operations have found market niches for themselves along with the workers trained through the technical colleges or on-site.  

Logistics, Distribution and Transportation
Morehouse Parish and area companies benefit greatly from the highway/interstate infrastructure and rail lines running throughout the community.  Numerous trucking companies including Vernon Sawyer and a high-tech tank wash facility, Bastrop Tank Wash, serve the needs of business and through traffic on their way to markets throughout southeast U.S. 

Retail
Morehouse Parish has become a small regional retail hub for surrounding parishes and residents north from Arkansas.   National retailers including Wal-Mart, Payless, Dollar Tree, and restaurant chains such as Wendy’s have a presence.   Local retailers such as Simmon’s Sporting goods, the region’s premier sporting goods destination, have followed with furnishings, clothing, antiques, pharmacy and gifts, as well as restaurants of many ethnicities. 

Healthcare
Several healthcare facilities allow residents of Morehouse Parish to find general and some specialty services at home.   The Morehouse General Hospital has a well-equipped and staffed emergency, internal medicine, elderly care, and rehabilitation transitions to the parish rehabilitation hospital.  A beautiful healthcare manor houses the elderly in Bastrop.

REPRESENTATIVE EMPLOYERS

If you would like to learn more about the businesses in Morehouse Parish or speak with them directly about their operations, please let us know.   

Resources:

Louisiana Economic Development-  Demographic profiles of each Louisiana parishes including resources and assets such as buildings & sites, incentives, education institutions and more. 

Entergy Louisiana -  Economic development programs of the power company serving Morehouse Parish and northeast Louisiana area.

Louisiana Tech University -   Louisiana community and parish populations plus many of the region’s research facilities including biomedical engineering, nanotechnology, tech transfer, micro-manufacturing, entrepreneurship.  The university will is also affiliated with the Enterprise Campus under development in the city of Ruston.