Construction of the seamless steel tube mill will begin this year and broader hiring will start in 2014. For now, Benteler Steel/Tube is seeking highly competitive candidates for three key positions: quality manager, hot rolling mill manager and finishing manager. Each of the three management positions requires an engineering degree and a minimum five years of management experience in a similar industry setting.

As hiring increases in 2014 and 2015, the State of Louisiana, Bossier Parish Community College and regional partners – including the Greater Bossier Economic Development Foundation, the City of Bossier City, and the Bossier Parish Police Jury – will establish a new $22 million training center focused on manufacturing technology at Bossier Parish Community College. That center will provide training for ongoing hiring at Benteler and other regional manufacturers.

Along with the state, the Red River Waterway Commission, Port of Caddo-Bossier and Caddo Parish Commission are making financial contributions to support the Benteler project, which LSU estimates will provide a $16.2 billion economic impact in Northwest Louisiana over the next two decades.

Benteler's facility will make products for the exploration and transportation of oil and natural gas, along with secondary markets in power generation and plant mechanical applications. Benteler expects to open its first Shreveport mill in the second half of 2015, followed by the opening of a steel production mill within the following four years at the company's 330-acre site at The Port of Caddo-Bossier.

LED FastStart – ranked the nation's No. 1 state workforce development training program – will provide support to Benteler throughout the job recruitment, screening, hiring and training process. The Benteler project also is expected to create an estimated 1,000 construction jobs in the Shreveport-Bossier City region.