FERRIDAY, La. – A Ferriday camouflage clothing maker needs a larger building, and the Macon Ridge Economic Development Region will work with town officials to make it happen, Macon Ridge President Buddy Spillers said.

Ferriday got verbal confirmation Friday from the Department of Economic Development that it would receive $100,000 to buy a building to house Mardy’s Contracting. A formal application should be submitted for those funds by Friday and formal confirmation could happen as soon as two weeks after that, Spillers said.

Mardy’s co-owners &uot;have got the contracts, the business experience and the expansion opportunities the state looks at when awarding grants like this,&uot;&160;said Ferriday Mayor Glen McGlothin.

But since the town might not receive the money for another six months, Macon Ridge will borrow money to buy the building as soon as possible and let the town pay it back.

As it now stands, Mardy’s 19 employees are located in a 2,560-square-foot building on Louisiana Avenue. The building it wants to move into on Mickey Gilley Avenue is twice that big, said co-owner Judy Cooper.

&uot;We make 500 pieces a week for one (client), but we could make 400 dozen a week … if we had the room,&uot;&160;Cooper said. With more room to expand, Mardy’s could also hire additional workers, she added.

Ferriday got the grant in large part due to the clout of state Rep. Bryant Hammett and Sen. Noble Ellington and the work of Macon Ridge and economic development coordinator Teresa Dennis, who actually called to see whether the funds were available.