Albemarle celebrates 50 years in Magnolia

 Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, during a July 18 event marking Albemarle Corporation’s 50 years in Columbia County, speaks glowingly of the company’s impact on the local economy and the state.  Pictured in back are (R-L) Columbia County Judge Larry Atkinson, Magnolia Mayor Parnell Vann, and Pam Beasley, superintendent of the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, during a July 18 event marking Albemarle Corporation’s 50 years in Columbia County, speaks glowingly of the company’s impact on the local economy and the state. Pictured in back are (R-L) Columbia County Judge Larry Atkinson, Magnolia Mayor Parnell Vann, and Pam Beasley, superintendent of the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources.

A celebration was held July 18 marking the 50th anniversary of Albemarle Corporation’s bromine operation in Columbia County. The ceremony, held Wednesday at the company’s training center near Hwy. 371, was attended by Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, as well as numerous state and local elected officials, company executives, and hundreds of current and former employees.

The Magnolia-area operation dates back to 1969 when the Bromet Company began a small bromine extraction operation at a Smackover Brine Formation plot located south of the city along Hwy. 79. The plot is now home to Albemarle’s behemoth South Plant -- one that, according to Plant Manager Jason Beven, has become “the most productive bromine operation ever.”

Bromine, a lightweight halogen, is used in numerous products including flame retardants, pharmaceuticals, dyestuffs, and agricultural chemicals. Formerly, it was used in an anti-engine knocking addictive for leaded gasoline.

But why south Arkansas? What makes it such a bountiful area for bromine. The answer dates back some 200 million years.

According to Pam Beasley, the superintendent of the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources, Columbia County was once the site of a massive sea that naturally receded over the eons, creating one of the most intense and fertile saltwater deposits on Earth.

“It formed the largest underground brine field used for bromine extraction,” she said.

At first, the south Arkansas saltwater was just a nuisance that oil drillers in the 1920s and 1930s dealt with during the boom of their day. But with a bromine count 70-times that of seawater, the Smackover Formation in the 1950s and 1960s became one of the most considerable natural resources in the world.

“It was a waste product no more,” Beasley added. “Arkansas’ brine became a commodity, and it became the leading area for bromine and its byproducts.”

With a $7.5-million initial investment ($53 million today), the Magnolia bromine operation began in 1969 when Ethyl Corporation and Great Lakes Chemical Corporation partnered to form the Bromet Company. It began small, only containing basic infrastructure, three granite towers for bromine extraction, and around 36 employees.

Ethyl, as the company was later known, in 1987 absorbed Dow Chemical’s operation at what is now as the West Plant. In 1994, Ehtyl’s chemical operations were spun off into the Albemarle Corporation. it is now publicly traded and this year, the bromine division reached $1 billion.

“You can’t work at another facility that delivers the diversity of markets that we do, that has the variety of chemical processes that we have, that is as technically demanding and as complex as we are, and, most importantly, has the ethic that our workforce has,” said Bevan. “It’s one of the best operations in existence.”

Netha Johnson, president of Albemarle’s Bromine Specialties global business unit, added: “The Magnolia site is the largest bromine producer in the world.”

Bevan, a south Louisiana native who has made Magnolia his home, also emphasized the importance of the community and its employees to the company and its advanced chemical operations. The business has employed thousands of south Arkansas and Columbia County residents with high-paying, long-lasting jobs. It has donated back to the city it calls home -- a fact not lost on Magnolia Mayor Parnell Vann.

“When the [Albemarle] Foundation came to be with Albemarle employees is really where I saw a game-changer,” he said.

The charitable wing of the company has aided in Magnolia’s downtown Square Park, The Magnolia Blossom Festival, local fundraisers, and more.

It was also not lost on the mayor the impact on the town’s economy that Albemarle has.

“Your money turns over five to six times in our community,” Vann said. “You area part of Magnolia and you make it for us.”

The governor echoed similar sentiments. He harped on the importance of Albemarle to the Arkansas economy.

“I want you to understand the contributions that you make, the importance of your work, and how the state views the natural resources of south Arkansas -- the economy that is here, and the vitality in your community,” he said.

The governor was also impressed with the size of Magnolia’s operation.

“The largest producer in the world -- that’s Arkansas,” he added.

Hutchinson noted that companies such as Albemarle have contributed to the lowest unemployment rate in state history and that their reinvestment in the community is an admirable trait. But he finished his remarks by again thanking the employees for their work.

“Albemarle is a success globally and a success here in Arkansas -- and you make it happen,” he said.

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