Posted on Tuesday, February 11, 2014 at 4:55 PM

Madison Parish Port announces acquisition

It was announced Friday, February 7, 2014, in St. Paul, Minnesota, that CHS has acquired the fertilizer business and business related fertilizer assets of Terral River Service, Lake Providence, LA.Terral River Service is a river transportation service company specializing in the bulk storage and handling of dry and liquid materials along the Mississippi River system.

CHS is committed to helping its customers, farmer-owners and other stakeholders grow their business through its domestic and global operations. CHS, a Fortune 100 company, supplies energy, crop nutrients, grain marketing services, animal feed, food and food ingredients, along with business solutions including insurance, financial and risk management services. The company operates petroleum refineries/pipelines and manufactures, markets and distributes Cenex® brand refined fuels, lubricants, propane and renewable energy products.

Terry Murphy, Madison Parish Port Commission Director gave the following statement, “ The Madison Parish Port Commission is very optimistic that the presence of a fortune 100 company with global operations throughout the world will soon own property adjacent to the port.  Hopefully, their presence in the Delta parishes will enhance the possibilities for economic development, will enhance job development and increase jobs and opportunities for agriculture and agri-business related industries.”

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Posted on Wednesday, December 18, 2013 at 2:57 PM

Delta Regional Authority invests $139,000 to support healthy living among northeast Louisiana workforce

Delta Regional Authority invests $139,000 to support healthy living among northeast Louisiana workforce. DRA investment will combat the high toll of chronic disease through behavioral change in the workplace

MONROE, La. – Northeast Louisiana will receive a major investment in resources to combat chronic disease among the Delta region’s workforce, Delta Regional Authority Federal Co-Chairman Chris Masingill announced today. The DRA initiated a $139,432.50 investment to support a coalition of public health agencies in three northeast Louisiana parishes in working with hospitals and small businesses to improve health outcomes by promoting behavioral changes in the workplace. 

“With the support of the Delta Regional Authority, the North Louisiana Regional Health Alliance is working to implement an innovative Pilot Worksite Wellness Program at three of the largest healthcare providers in Morehouse, Richland & Union parishes,” said Jinger Greer, North Regional Alliance Executive Director. 

The investment is part of the DRA’s Healthy Workforce Challenge which has funded programs in five states to incentivize healthy lifestyles through workplace programming. The programs designed by recipients include employee health assessments, access to healthy food options, fitness challenges, wellness classes, training and workshops. 

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Posted on Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at 12:34 PM

Louisiana Positives

The Louisiana Senate just release the latest "Louisiana Positives" information sheet on July 22, 2013. You can download or read a copy of it here.

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Posted on Wednesday, June 19, 2013 at 12:08 PM

Lantern Awards Recognize Manufacturing Excellence In Louisiana

Companies from eight regions of the state earn honors for quality and community service

BATON ROUGE, La. — Today, Louisiana Economic Development honored the 2013 Lantern Award winners during a private reception held at the Louisiana Governor’s Mansion. Lantern Award winners demonstrate excellence in manufacturing and outstanding service to their communities through the involvement of their businesses and employees.

“Each year, we celebrate Louisiana-based manufacturers who demonstrate quality in their work processes and a commitment to their local communities,” LED Secretary Stephen Moret said. “With a focus on improvement, growth and innovation, the contributions of the Lantern Award winners are helping us position Louisiana as the best state for business investment and job creation. We congratulate them on their accomplishments and are grateful for the career opportunities they provide to the people of our state.”

Lantern Award winners are selected by Louisiana's eight Regional Planning and Development Districts, with selection based on the contributions of the manufacturers to their communities, including investments in employment growth and facility expansion. Each business also must demonstrate sustainability by remaining in operation at least three years prior to the nomination.

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Posted on Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at 11:22 AM

NELEA 2013 Annual Meeting is a success

Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance (NELEA) held its Annual Meeting on Wednesday, March 20 at the Delhi Civic Center, Delhi, Louisiana. NELEA hosted economic development partners and business persons from all of the 10 parishes the organization represents: Union, Ouachita, Caldwell, Morehouse, West Carroll, East Carroll, Tensas, Madison, Richland, and Franklin Parishes.

Guest speaker Louisiana Economic Development (LED) Secretary Stephen Moret stated Northeast Louisiana is positioned to be the beneficiary of the state’s aggressive marketing efforts. The new strong business standing Louisiana has in relation to other states and the existing developed sites, including Franklin Farm and others give us a stronger competitive edge. Though there have been no new assembly plants built in the U.S. in the last 5 years, that industry is ramping up and LED is targeting that industry among others for strong job creation in NE Louisiana. Secretary Moret referenced Governor Jindal’s tax reform program and alluded to new opportunities for new jobs as Louisiana becomes even more business oriented.

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Posted on Monday, February 18, 2013 at 6:47 PM

Have you always wanted your own Clean-tech or Energy Efficient business? You could win $100,000 from the Department Of Energy!

For the first time ever, MegaWatt Ventures - a $100,000+ prize competition for small businesses in clean tech - is coming to the entire Southeast! This exciting accelerator-based competition provides seed funding, top notch mentors, and business boot camps over six months, to enable companies to inevitably compete in a grand finale event. This final forum pits highly competitive small businesses to pitch their technology and business model in front of a prestigious judges panel, comprised of renowned institutional investors as well as energy industry executives.

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Posted on Thursday, January 3, 2013 at 1:55 PM

FORECAST: JOBS on horizon

Employment opportunities expand

Northeastern Louisiana's economy will get continuing boosts in 2013 from ongoing expansions and fresh blood.

CenturyLink in Monroe and ConAgra's Lamb Weston sweet potato processing plant near Delhi have expansions on the boards, and the recently announced timber processing plant in Morehouse Parish will provide the new injection.

Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret said ConAgra informed him last week that it is committed to a $55 million capital expansion of its existing plant that's expected to create about 225 new jobs by the end of 2015.

ConAgra already employs about 275 workers at its $156 million Delhi plant that opened in 2006.

"The company is well ahead of its original payroll commitment and has already expended some of the capital required in the Phase 2 expansion," said Moret, referring to ConAgra's obligation after accepting up to $37.5 million in incentives from the state.

CenturyLink also will continue its growth with a commitment to create 800 new jobs at its Monroe headquarters by 2016. It will also break ground in 2013 on a $30 million headquarters expansion on U.S. 165 North.

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Posted on Thursday, January 23, 2014 at 1:07 PM

WTCNO and BIS host 2-day Complying with U.S. Export Controls Seminar

The two-day program, hosted by the World Trade Center of New Orleans and the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security, is led by BIS's professional counseling staff and provides an in-depth examination of the EAR. The program will cover the information exporters need to know to comply with U.S. export control requirements on commercial goods. We will focus on what items and activities are subject to the EAR; how to determine your export control classification number (ECCN); steps to take to determine the export licensing requirements for your item; when you can export or reexport without applying for a license; export clearance procedures; and record keeping requirements. Presenters will conduct a number of "hands-on" exercises that will prepare you to apply the regulations to your own company's export activities. This program is well suited for those who need a comprehensive understanding of their obligations under the EAR. Technical, policy, and enforcement professionals from BIS, as well as specialists from other agencies such as the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Bureau of Census will participate in certain programs.

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