Dow was highlighted as one of four companies in Louisiana with plans to grow in the state at a Conference on Economic Development recently hosted by Governor Kathleen Blanco. Dow was featured in conjunction with the company's plans to build a new latex facility at Union Carbide Corporation's St. Charles Operations in Hahnville, Louisiana.

The project represents a more than $100 million investment and is expected to have approximately 30 permanent employees. The facility is part of Dow's UCAR Emulsion Systems (UES), which produces and markets emulsions or polymers - also known as latexes - for paints and construction materials such as sealants and caulks. Latex is what makes paint actually stick to walls.

The project's construction phase will create about 350 construction jobs at its peak; and the duration of construction will last about 19 months.

Among the reasons Dow chose Louisiana for this new business growth opportunity were a talented, capable workforce, strong infrastructure, integration of facilities, and ready access to raw materials. One of Louisiana's largest petrochemical producers, Dow has more than 6,000 employees and contract employees and more than $8 billion in assets located around the state.

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Dow is a leader in science and technology, providing innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales of $33 billion, Dow serves customers in more than 180 countries and a wide range of markets that are vital to human progress, including food, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others. Committed to the principles of sustainable development, Dow and its approximately 46,000 employees seek to balance economic, environmental and social responsibilities. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. St. Charles Operations is owned by Union Carbide Corporation, which is a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company.