Last August, Emerson announced that the company planned to expand and retool the former White-Rodgers facility to produce components for the company’s air conditioning compressor manufacturing facilities. The investment, which will total $120 million, is expected to bring 390 new full-time jobs to Batesville at an average wage of $14.51 per hour.

While renovations plans have been delayed, Emerson has said that it is committed to the project. U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., who, along with U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and U.S. Rep Marion Berry, D-Ark., recently announced the award of the $1.8 million grant to Batesville, said the grant means Emerson’s expansion “is closer to becoming a reality.”

“Last year, I worked with Emerson’s CEO, David Farr, as well as Gov. [Mike] Beebe, the state Economic Development Commission and the U.S. Economic Development Administration to provide a proposal that would bring new, high-paying jobs to Batesville,” Lincoln said.

The U.S. Department of Commerce grant is provided by the Economic Development Administration (EDA), which serves as a venture capital resource to meet the economic development needs of distressed communities throughout the country.

“Converting this former facility into a manufacturing plant will be a catalyst for economic development in Batesville,” Pryor said. “Not only will hundreds of jobs be created, but overall quality of life in Batesville will also benefit. This investment will pay dividends for years to come.”

Emerson Climate Technologies, a division of St. Louis-based Emerson, is a provider of heating, air conditioning and refrigeration systems for residential, industrial and commercial applicatio