Celanese

Celanese is one of the world's leading producers of petrochemical products. It is the second-largest employer in Matagorda County, with 331 full-time employees. 90% of these employees live in Matagorda County. The figure goes up when contract employees are hired.

According to Ann Saha, human resources supervisor for Celanese in the county, the company is gearing up for a major turnaround in which 100 to 120 contract employees will be hired. Payroll for Celanese, Bay City site, was $27,443,000 in 1997, and it paid personal property taxes of $2,372,000.

"We like to think we're a very big player in the county," Saha said. "Not just as a company but in the role a lot of our employees play in the community."

Celanese employees carry leadership roles in such organizations as Rotary, Lions and Kiwanis, United Way, Women's Crisis Center, Literary Volunteers of America, Red Cross, Salvation Army, Little League and Boy Scouts. Saha said that Celanese also supplies financial aid to the community, especially in the area of aid to youth.

Last year the company underwent a major upgrading of its computer system. Bay City schools and the Matagorda County museum received personal computers, printers and software. Other computer equipment went to Matagorda schools and Tidehaven.

Since 1962, the Celanese site in Matagorda County has played an important role in the company's standing in the manufacturing world. Celanese produces the raw materials for the production of plastics, fibers, chemicals and solvents. The list of major customers includes Exxon, Dow, Dupont, Sherwin-Williams, Eastman Kodak and many others. Products using Celanese materials include paints, paper coatings, adhesives, pharmaceuticals, detergents, fragrances and cosmetics.

In most of the products it manufactures, Celanese ranks first or second in the world. The 1,000-acre Bay City site includes Baycel Park, a superb recreational facility for Celanese employees.