[7/8/04]Rouse Polymerics International Inc. of Vicksburg has retained Equity Partners Inc. of Maryland to help find an immediate sale of the business and some of its assets following approval by a bankruptcy court.

Rouse, located on U.S. 61 South was the scene on May 16, 2002, of a fire and explosion after which five workers died and seven were treated for injuries. It was Vicksburg’s worst-ever industrial accident.

According to Equity Partners, Rouse’s company history dated to 1883 through predecessor companies and was involved in making ground rubber from scrap tires and other primary and secondary elastomeric materials. The company is still in operation and processes various types of scrap elastomers and plastics using a wet grinding process.

Following the explosion, the company remodeled a 13,000 square-foot building and began small -scale production.

Mike Rouse, president and owner of the company said there are four or five people working at the plant.

“We are still making product for people,” he said.

Before the explosion, the Rouse plant was capable of producing 50 million pounds of product per year. At peak production, the company had sales up to $17 million annually.

Lawsuits that followed the blast were followed by the company filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

“This is an opportunity to acquire a strong brand name, unique technologies, production capabilities, customer base, machinery and equipment and real property,” said Ken Mann, a partner in Equity Partners.

Walter Newman, a Jackson attorney who is handling the bankruptcy for Rouse, said the contemplated sale is for the manufacturing building and the land it stands on. The office building and the remaining portion of the 21-acre tract is not included in the sale at this time.

“We hope (the sale will go through) before October,” Newman said when asked about a timetable for the sale.

Rouse said he could not comment on the status of the civil suits and Leo Carmody, the Jackson attorney handling those matters, was out of town and could not be reached for comment.

However, the first case was scheduled to go to trial in Warren County Circuit Court in May, but as jury selection was to begin, the case was postponed indefinitely.

Those who died were Roy Deaton, John Davenport and C. Theodore “Teddy” Smith, all of Vicksburg, Tywayne Croskey of Port Gibson and Alfred Harrison of Tallulah.