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Dow Celebrates 50 Years in Louisiana

Louisiana - September 26, 2006

Dow Celebrates 50 Years in Louisiana
Dow Louisiana Operations Site Director Lee Trusty addresses the audience at the Dow 50th Anniversary Celebration.  Seen behind Trusty are (left to right): Past Dow Global Leader Arnold Allemang; Dow Energy Business Vice President John Dearborn; Dow Global Vice President of Manufacturing & Engineering Gary Veurink; Dow Louisiana Operations Public Affairs Leader Donna Carville; Dow retiree & founding employee Bernice Dispenza; Former Louisiana Operations Site Manager Bob Gallant; John W. Wilbert, bugler for the event.

More than 600 community residents, officials, Dow retirees and employees came together on September 25th to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking for the Dow Louisiana Operations site in Plaquemine.

Several of the founding employees, who began working at the Dow site in 1956, were honored guests at the ceremony.  The event was also attended by many of the past Louisiana site leaders and several representatives from the current Dow global leadership.  Dow Louisiana Operations Site Director Lee Trusty spoke to the crowd about the many accomplishments of the site over the past five decades, but he also looked toward the future, “The ‘can-do’ spirit of our Dow Louisiana employees is what will sustain us through the challenges and the opportunities over the next 50 years.  We will build on our current strengths of where we’re located, our people and the further development of more specialty chemical products for our site.”

Longtime Plaquemine businessman Sam Gerace also spoke at the ceremony and emphasized that Dow’s most distinguishing legacy over the years may be its far-reaching efforts to be a good corporate citizen. Gerace said, “Dow coming to the area back in 1956 was just the economic boost that Iberville Parish needed.”

Over the 50 years, Dow has brought $625 million in annual economic impacts to the state. It spends $408 million a year in purchases with Louisiana companies, and pays $78 million in state and local taxes. In addition, in 2005 the company and its employees gave more than $1 million in contributions and donations for projects to improve the quality of life for residents of Iberville, West Baton Rouge, Assumption and East Baton Rouge parishes.

As Dow celebrates its 50th anniversary, its slogan is “A Golden Past, an Even Greater Tomorrow.” It’s with that corporate philosophy that Dow looks forward to many decades of future successes in South Louisiana.


For Editorial Information:

Gary Cambre
The Dow Chemical Company
(225) 353-8265