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There was standing-room only Tuesday morning at The Brown Estate as a crowd of Orange area businesspeople and community supporters gathered to hear from the man of the hour.

That was Bruce Chinn, president and chief executive officer of Chevron Phillips Chemical.

Chinn got right to the point saying he was “inspired” by the turnout and support shown for Chevron Phillips Chemical, which has operated locally since 1955, and CP Chem’s newest venture — a joint integrated polymers facility operated in conjunction with QatarEnergy.

Dubbed Golden Triangle Polymers, that effort broke ground last month and projects to be an $8 billion-plus construction.

Chinn said there is a long history of collaboration between CP Chem and QatarEnergy, noting the companies have two decades of teamwork in place running sites in Qatar that are among the safest and most reliable assets in the industry.

“Our vision is to bring the same focus on safety and reliable operation to Orange by delivering an incident-free construction project and certainly one that will enjoy a good startup,” he said. “We also have a shared mission to generate good-paying jobs and create significant economic impact for the region.”

In deciding where to locate the facility, Chinn said outside experts were brought in to examine the economic impact on potential sites with a goal to outline “meaningful benefits to this community for years to come.”

Company officials expect, in the first 20 years the facility operates in Orange, it will create an estimated $50 billion impact across a number of areas, including construction spending and jobs creating revenue for new and existing businesses.

The project itself, during construction, will create an estimated 4,500 construction jobs and more than 500 fulltime jobs.

There are six primary construction companies that are contracted to build the Golden Triangle Polymers facility.

“We expect the workforce hired by these employers to create a ripple affect of indirect spending at local businesses of all kinds as they eat, shop, live and purchase goods and services to draw new retailers and services to the area,” Chinn said.

“It is important to me for you to know how committed CP Chem is to working with you, the local business community, in all this work. I recognize that each of you are the backbone of this community. You really drive the economy here and it is important for us to be supportive of you. You are more than just establishments where people can buy goods and services. You provide jobs, you contribute to the economy and you help support your community’s stability.”

According to Chinn, one of the most critical roles businesses play is as a gathering spot for the community, whether hosting an event or sponsoring one. This creates positive change in local communities, he said.

“That is why it is important that we continue to focus on local,” he said. “We’re serious about that and will try to have the most positive impact for this community during this project.”

Golden Triangle Polymers Company awarded $200,000 to Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas March 14 to create and maintain “Local First,” an on-line, customized talent acquisition portal.

The portal was developed to prioritize Orange County and the Golden Triangle for employment opportunities for the project. The company donated a total of $400,000 for the Local First initiative with $200,000 being utilized by Orange County to ensure local vendors, suppliers and service companies participate in the project.

Two job fairs are planned for the Golden Triangle Polymers construction project. The first is June 24 at the Orange County Convention and Expo Center.

To learn more about Local First, call Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas at 409-719-4750.