The Optimum Group, a corporate farming operation, will build a rice mill at the Port of Pine Bluff through its Southwind Milling Co. It will open in 2015 and create 25 jobs. The company also plans to double capacity of the mill and build a rice flourmill. It’s described as a multimillion-dollar project, helped by a $10 million loan package gfrom the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the Arkansas Development Finance Authority. It will qualify for tax credits for new jobs.

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