Article: 00006

Hogan Hardwoods supplies Presidential wood

November 25, 2004

By Mary Margaret van Diest
Business/Features Reporter

One of the best reasons for area residents to visit the newly completed

new state of the art moulding manufacturing plant right here on McDonald

Road in Ruston.

Hogan Hardwoods and Moulding Board Member Clay Hipp said this was an extremely rare project in many ways.

"The construction costs totaled an estimated $165 million which was privately raised through charitable contributions from more than 100,000 donors," he said. "The Clinton Presidential Center and Park has helped spur more than $1 billion in economic development in the downtown Little Rock and North Little Rock areas."

Hipp said that the involvement of the Ruston company includes the architectural interior millwork.

"The architect called for rift red oak to be used in the construction of the front reception desk as well as entertainment centers and bookshelves in the executive living area," Hipp said.

"Interior moulding such as base, crown, chairrail and casings were manufactured in our new state of the art moulding manufacturing facility located here in Ruston.
"It has been an honor for our company to be involved in a project of this magnitude and something we will be proud of for years to come."

Executives of the Ruston-based company became aware of the use of their products when one of their customers won the job through a bid process.

Hipp said publications from The William J. Clinton Foundation detail not only the buildings and acreage in the Little Rock complex but also the philosophies behind its existence. Those texts include the following information:

"The Clinton Presidential Center has been designed to encompass the vision of President Clinton and capture the imagination of the millions of visitors who will pass through its doors or linger in its gardens.

"The Center, located within a 30 acre city park along the south bank of the Arkansas River is a gift to the American heartland. The Presidential Center site includes the Presidential Library and Museum and the renovated Choctaw Station, built in 1899, which will house The Clinton School of Public Service and Clinton Foundation offices.

"The Presidential Library and Museum is designed by The Polshek Partnership, the award winning architectural firm whose work includes The Rose Center for Earth and Space at The American Museum of Natural History in New York.

"The main public portion of the of the Clinton Library is enclosed in a glass bridge cantilevered over the Arkansas River. The building is as useful as it is elegant, featuring an 80 seat theater, banquet hall, cafe, meeting and seminar rooms, research offices and support space for archivists and scholars.

"Seventy six million pages of paper documents, 75,000 museum artifacts and nearly two million photographs form the core collection of the Clinton Library. Also stored there are approximately 21 million e-mail messages."

"The Clinton Foundation turned over the Clinton Library and Archives to the United States during its opening just days ago. It represents the largest "donation" to the American people by any former President of the United States."