Gov. John Bel Edwards highlighted the dedication of SuperATV’s new Shreveport manufacturing and distribution center last week, where the company’s 100,000-square-foot facility also hosts a retail showroom for consumers.
In February, SuperATV announced a $4.35 million capital investment in its Shreveport site, where the company will create 75 new direct jobs averaging $40,000 a year, plus benefits. LED estimates another 42 new indirect jobs will result, for a total of 117 new jobs in Caddo Parish and Northwest Louisiana.
“With our reputation as the Sportsman’s Paradise and Shreveport’s strategic location on the I-20 corridor, SuperATV has selected an ideal location in Louisiana for its second manufacturing and distribution facility,” Gov. Edwards said. “Not only will area residents be able to purchase products at SuperATV’s new retail showroom, but residents along the I-20 corridor will also benefit from great employment and career opportunities. We congratulate SuperATV for this big step in their growth.”
Headquartered in Madison, Indiana, SuperATV is a 16-year-old company specializing in All-Terrain Vehicle aftermarket products. A family-owned company, SuperATV specializes in aftermarket parts for a variety of ATVs and larger utility task vehicles, or UTVs, which also are known as “side-by-sides” for their larger size and passenger capacity. The new Shreveport site will support product manufacturing and delivery to states across the Southeast U.S., as well as distribution to Texas and markets as far away as New Mexico and Colorado.
On Saturday, a public Grand Opening event will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the company’s showroom, located at 1039 Kay Lane in Shreveport. For the first day of a two-day SuperATV Grand Opening event, Secretary Don Pierson of Louisiana Economic Development joined founding SuperATV President Harold Hunt, Caddo Parish Commissioner Mike Middleton, Shreveport City Council Chairman Jerry Bowman Jr. and other invited guests for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“We are looking forward to opening the premier retail and shipping location for all aftermarket parts and accessories for side-by-sides in the heart of mud country,” said Hunt, who founded the company in 2003. “We have some additional expansion opportunities planned for the near future that will bring us one step closer to servicing all the needs for our customer. This second location, in Louisiana, will allow SuperATV to establish the premier retail and shipping location, so that we have the opportunity to bring our products to our customer as fast as possible.”
The Shreveport site represents SuperATV’s first expansion beyond the company headquarters location in Indiana. Since Hunt launched SuperATV from his garage, the company has grown to nearly 500,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space. SuperATV manufactures and distributes all-terrain vehicle parts under a variety of brands, such as Assassinator Tires, Gear Driven Performance and Rhino Axles.
“The addition of SuperATV is exciting news for our region and for Caddo Parish,” Caddo Parish Commission President Stormy Gage-Watts said. “Caddo Parish is an ideal place for businesses to invest and grow, and SuperATV’s creation of new jobs and capital investments is a testament to the strength of our economy and the potential for even greater development opportunities.”
“I am excited to welcome SuperATV to the Shreveport business community,” Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins said. “The company’s expansion into the Shreveport market is a testament to our city’s competitive strengths, including a skilled workforce, the lowest cost of doing business in the nation, and great multimodal logistics.”
To secure the project, LED offered SuperATV a competitive incentive package featuring the comprehensive workforce solutions of LED FastStart®, the nation’s top-rated state workforce training program. The company also is expected to utilize Louisiana’s Quality Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs.
With more than 30 product categories, SuperATV expects to generate the highest sales volume from Shreveport for its axles, portal gear lifts, mud tires and lift kits.
“SuperATV’s investment in Shreveport is another positive example of how our economy is on the upswing,” North Louisiana Economic Partnership President Scott Martinez said. “We want to thank Vintage Realty Company, an NLEP investor, for its outstanding work on this project, as NLEP provided site selection, permitting and incentive information as well as investor referrals to SuperATV.”