BATON ROUGE — A Louisiana-based automation manufacturing company is expanding.

BBP hosted a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday morning to celebrate the completion of its expanded Baton Rouge headquarters on Highlandia Drive near Blue Bayou.

The company specializes in manufacturing automation and precision engineering.

The company's $4.2 million investment will create 75 direct new jobs over the next decade while retaining 51 current positions in Louisiana.

President of BBP Scott Romero said multiple states were considered for the investment but they decided to keep it right here at home.

"Hey, we're from Louisiana. I'm a Lafayette kid, grew up in New Iberia and lived in Lafayette. I did a lot of business in the Baton Rouge area. Louisiana is home for us. We do a lot of business throughout the Southeast. We wanted Louisiana to win and ultimately they put the proposal together, got us here and made us stay here," Romero said.

When asked about his emotions after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Romero said he's excited but is ultimately keeping his eye on the future.

"Look, I'm a realist today is just the beginning. It's not the end, it's not the result. Today is the beginning of the process of the future. So, the building is opening and it's the first in ten, now we have to go score a touchdown. So, we're excited about the future but we realize today is just the beginning so our emotions are controlled and focused on getting the end results," Romero said.

To learn more about BBP, click here.