Missouri’s Boonslick Regional Planning Commission Brings Federal, State and Local Partners Together to Improve Infrastructure, Bring Manufacturing Jobs to Region

Through effective economic development collaboration with federal, state and local partners, the Boonslick Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) successfully enhanced local water, rail and road infrastructure to bring CertainTeed Corporation’s new, state of the art asphalt roofing shingle manufacturing and distribution center to Jonesburg, Missouri.

Jonesburg Mayor Bob Sellenriek said, “It’s the first time a company has resided both in Warren and Montgomery counties. The economic impact of this project will ripple through our entire region and we are pleased to welcome CertainTeed to our community.”

Through this collaboration, EDA invested $1.9 million in the city to make the needed water infrastructure improvements and to establish a new rail spur to facilitate shipping raw materials to the plant. The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) matched the EDA funds and Missouri’s Community Development Block Grant program (CDGB) invested an additional $1.5 million in the project. In addition, Missouri’s Public Water Supply District #1 (PWSD) constructed a 350,000-gallon water tower and drilled a well to serve the new facility. Together, these efforts made it possible for the region to leverage more than $100 million in private investment and bring 100 new manufacturing jobs to residents in the community.

In its 50 years of service, the BRPC has delivered a multitude of programs and is building strong relationships with local governments and the business community to bring projects like this to fruition.

“This project was an example of collaboration at its best,” said Chad Eggen, Executive Director of BRPC. “It took all groups participating to make it happen. The final product illustrates how much we can accomplish if we all work together.”

The CertainTeed project is a great example of the strong leadership skills the BRPC provides in guiding a large project from the planning stages to completion and represents the success of collaborative efforts led by local governments to address economic development needs within a region.