“The Mississippi Delta is much better than I expected,” says John Slagter.  “It’s green and beautiful, and the people are wonderful.  All my preconceived ideas were wrong.”
  In the mid-Nineties, Slagter struggled to operate a business in Haiti where a dangerous and volatile political atmosphere made work extremely difficult.  “On the same day my life was threatened, one of my investors called and told me about an opportunity to build a business in Rolling Fork.  I was on the plane to Mississippi the next morning.”
  About 50 people from the community staged a real Mississippi Delta welcome, complete with catfish dinner and assurances that Rolling Fork was the perfect place for Stonecraft, LLC. Now, with the help of an operating and equipment loan of $400,000 from the Enterprise Corporation of the Delta, Stonecraft is manufacturing an innovative product in Rolling Fork.
Their polymer-modified concrete flooring has particular appeal for interior designers and architects because of its durability, flexibility, wide range of colors and patterns, as well as cost.
  “My dream was to locate the business in a community that needed economic development,” Slagter, a Grand Rapids, Michigan native, says.  A member of the Christian Reformed Church, begun by immigrants from the Netherlands, Slagter had heard about Cary, Mississippi.  Cary is a small town near Rolling Fork where the Christian Reformed Church founded the Cary Christian Center in the 1920’s.  It is still supported and staffed by members of the church.
  Once he was sold on Rolling Fork, Slagter needed local help with the project.  He first contacted the Mississippi Department of Economic and Community Development, and they put him in touch with Mark Manning of the Delta Council.  According to Slagter, “Mark put it all together for us.”  Manning referred Slagter to ECD for financial assistance.
  Also key to the project was Fred Miller, President and CEO of the Bank of Anguilla.  His bank provided financing for equipment.  “We’re excited about the industry potential that Stonecraft has,” he emphasized.  “They’ve found a market niche, there are orders pending, and once they reach full manufacturing capacity, sales should be good.”
  Others providing assistance to Stonecraft include USDA, South Delta Planning and Development District, Sharkey County and the State of Mississippi.
  “ECD shares John Slagter’s economic development mission and was impressed by his product and plan for Rolling Fork,” said ECD Vice President Alan Branson.  “He wanted to save the old Delta Elastic building and add an adjacent facility for a manufacturing plant.  This was a great opportunity for several groups to join forces to bring employment and revenue into the
area.”
  John Slagter wasted no time in involving the community in staffing the business.  He immediately hired former Delta Elastic Manager Johnny Smith as Stonecraft’s new plant manager.  At full production, Stonecraft will provide 75 to 100 manufacturing and 12 management positions, which will benefit Rolling Fork tremendously.
  Slagter says that opportunities for Stonecraft to grow are exponential in the flooring market alone.  “If we expand into siding and roofing and things we haven’t even thought of yet, our potential is unlimited.”
  In two years, sales are expected to top $6 million. After measured success in the contract design industry, the company plans to move into popular retail outlets.  Rolling Fork could find itself on the map of top design product manufacturers.
  John Slagter puts it this way:  “We want to help make Rolling Fork the kind of community people want to move to instead of away from.”
  From the Enterprise Corporation of the Delta’s Developing the Delta Newsletter.

(This article was taken from Enterprise Corporation for the Delta’s “Developing the Delta”)