Royal Martin, a company executive and long-time local investor, addressed the Natchitoches Parish School Board on Nov. 11 to outline recent and planned investments at the company’s Chopin plywood plant and to pledge funds for school playgrounds.

Martin said the plant — “the most modern plywood plant in North America,” in his words — has grown its workforce and is buying new equipment and lines to compete with imports. “We have about 48 to $50,000,000 being spent right in your parish,” Martin told the board, describing automation projects and a new value-added product line his team expects to begin producing in about a year.

The superintendent introduced Martin as a friend of the district and the company announced a $50,000 contribution toward playground equipment for local schools. Martin said he has previously funded playgrounds in other parishes and asked the board and school principals to provide a budget so he and his team can consider further donations. “Give me a budget, and we’ll see what we can do,” Martin said.

Why it matters: the company’s investments and hiring plans affect local employment and tax revenue prospects, and the playground pledge is an immediate in-kind contribution to school facilities that can affect students’ play options and special-needs accessibility.

Martin described specific capital projects, including an automated scanning/routing line supplied by Argos (Norway) to replace repetitive manual tasks, a value-added polymer coating the company says will extend plywood panel life, and a plan to stitch smaller strips into larger feedstock to improve dryer throughput. He attributed the investments to competitive pressure from subsidized imports and to the plant’s increased production needs.

He also discussed workforce development: the plant has expanded from roughly 300 employees when it opened to about 720 today, and Martin said the company is hiring more high school graduates from local schools through programs such as WoodWorks. “We are hiring more high school students right out of school … at 19 and a half dollars an hour, and soon, after 6 months, they’re making $21 an hour,” he said.

During a brief question-and-answer period, a board member asked whether the company could contribute additional funds to replace aging equipment at Natchitoches Junior High. Martin repeated his request for a concrete budget and said the company would consider it.

The superintendent and board thanked Martin for the pledge and for local hiring; the group took photos with the donor. The board did not take formal action on the pledge during the meeting.

Next steps: Superintendent Eloy said he would coordinate any follow-up with school principals and the donor to determine budget needs for playground replacements and to schedule a ribbon-cutting when equipment is ready.