The economic prosperity of a city, state or nation is largely dependent on the amount, and type, of business being conducted there. Payroll, taxes and corporate purchases all contribute significantly to economic health — and indirectly to infrastructure, civic institutions and culture. In this section we have tried to share some key indicators of our impact on the St. Charles Operations (SCO) community as well as of the economic performance of the site.

Here are some key indicators of our impact on the local community:

Capital Expenditures

Production

Total production (pounds produced) reported in 2006: 10.2 billion pounds.

Local Purchasing

When it comes to local purchases, we face a very difficult trade-off. As a competitive, global enterprise, we have a responsibility to actively manage our costs to a minimum. For certain products this means consolidating purchases and buying in great volume independent of the location of the supplier. However, there are other products and services that by their very nature will be bought locally, such as contract labor and certain maintenance activities. Dow's local purchasing department works closely with local suppliers to educate them about our strategic purchasing requirements.

Dow sites in Louisiana spend $550 million in the purchase of local goods & services annually.

Payroll

Total payroll reported in 2006: $147.0 million. SCO continues to be a major employer in the area with more than 1,100 employees and 1,100 contractors. In addition, contractor payroll in 2006 totaled $38.7 million.

Taxes

Taxes paid by a company to the various authorities are an important part of our economic "footprint" in a country. In 2006, the various Dow subsidiaries around the world paid $1,600 Million USD in Corporate Income Tax, Property Taxes, Employer's portion of Payroll Taxes and various other non-income taxes. In 2006, Dow, its subsidiaries (including SCO) and partnerships paid approximately $74 million in state and local taxes in Louisiana.