OSCEOLA, AR (abc24.com) - "It was the biggest kept secret in the county for the last few weeks," said Ken Kennemore with Osceola's Economic Development Committee.
Now the secret is out, a $1 billion steel mill planned just south of Osceola.
Kennemore said the steel mill will bring in more than 500 new jobs which will help people out. "There is a shortage of jobs and this will give us a step up and help people get out of just barely making it."
Jeff Lynch, owner of The Hog Pen barbeque, is only 2 miles away from the proposed site. He told us jobs are hard to come by. "The job market, there's not a lot out there. When the farmers are in the field you can get jobs, but other than that not really," he said.
He is ready to serve barbeque to the workers, who will make as much as $75,000 a year.
"Well, it's going to be great. I don't think that everybody realizes by the time it's finally built and the little companies that come along with that, it will change this area quite a bit in the next 5-10 years," said Lynch.
Construction could start as early as August, which also means 2,000 construction jobs will open up.
