Area Development
K-Dow Petrochemicals, a joint venture between Dow Chemical Company and Kuwaiti oil company Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC) will locate in southeastern Michigan at a to-be-determined site. The $11 billion company, which will manufacture plastics such as polypropylene and polyethylene, will employ approximately 800 people. The Associated Press reports that the region's Arabic culture - including employees' access to mosques, Arabic restaurants, and schools where their children can speak Arabic - is a key factor in the location decision; southeastern Michigan is home to more than 300,000 people of Arab ancestry. Final approval of state and local incentives, details of which were not announced, are pending.