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Keep in touch with what's going on around NELEA. We'll post the latest news on this page regularly.
Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 1:00 PM
Louisiana Positives
The Louisiana Senate Communication Office prepared a list of “Louisiana Positives” that highlight all of the great achievements and improved in the state of Louisiana over the past year. You can view the full list here.
Education: J.S. Clark Elementary in Monroe and W.W. Stewart Elementary School in Evangeline Parish were honored as Distinguished Schools by the National Association of State Title I Directors. The program recognizes two schools from each state every year based on criteria outlined in the national No Child Left Behind Act for achieving a level of progress for two or more consecutive years (The Town Talk, December 2010).
Higher Education: Eleven Louisiana Community and Technical College System institutions have been ranked among the top associate degree and certificate producers in the country by Community College Week magazine's 2011 edition of the Top 100 Associate Degree Producers. Acadiana Technical College (Lafayette Campus), Bossier Parish Community College (Bossier City), Capital Area Technical College (Baton Rouge Campus), Central Louisiana Technical College (Alexandria Campus), Delgado Community College (New Orleans), L.E. Fletcher Technical Community College (Houma), Northeast Louisiana Technical College (Delta Ouachita Campus in West Monroe), Northshore Technical College (Sullivan Campus in Bogalusa), Northwest Louisiana Technical College, South Central Louisiana Technical College (Young Memorial Campus in Morgan City) and Sowela Technical Community College (Lake Charles) were mentioned (The News Star, July 2011).
Economic Development: Pollina Corporate Real Estate Inc. ranked Louisiana second in the nation for its economic development incentives, efforts and performance. Louisiana Economic Development attributes the improvement from No. 10 to No. 2 to the creation and upgrade of programs such as the Digital Interactive Media and Software incentive, Louisiana FastStart, and improved perceptions among consultants and corporate executives (Baton Rouge Business Report, August 2011).
Local/Cities: According to CNN Money, Ascension and Livingston Parishes are among the top 25 counties in the nation with the highest job growth over the past decade. Ascension ranks No. 9 with 46.6% job growth since 2000 and Livingston ranks No. 11 with 42.9% job growth since 2000. The two parishes were the only in the state to make the list, which credits the increase in job growth to heavy industry coming back to life along the lower Mississippi River (1012 Corridor, August 2011).
Health/Hospitals: The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) was given a $1.4 million bonus award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for outstanding and timely customer service in providing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, also known as food stamps. This is the third consecutive year Louisiana earned the timeliness bonus (Department of Children and Family Services, September 2010).
Government/Misc: The U.S. Public Interest Research Group ranks LaTrac, the state government's website and online state spending database, as fourth in the nation, giving it a score of "A" for its transparency (The Advocate, March 2011).
Posted on Tuesday, September 20, 2011 at 2:54 PM
Biorefining Conference & Trade Show energizes Houston
By Luke Geiver
The 2011 International Biorefining Conference & Trade Show officially started today in the heart of oil and gas country, but the atmosphere during the opening evening of the three-day event at the Hilton Americas Houston hotel was energized by the potential of the advanced biofuels and biobased chemical industries. Over 350 people attended the first night event, some looking for the best available EPC firm, some the newest product testing methods, and others like Michelle Boothe of the Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance, the right person and the right company that could bring bioenergy to her state. “We are looking to be competitive with other states,” Boothe said. “We want to offer more.”
Boothe came prepared to the event, bringing satellite images and informational sheets of 16 different sites. Sites she said could be utilized by bioenergy companies in search of future facility locations. “Louisiana,” she said, “has several sites available and we are looking for businesses that are looking to expand.” Boothe and her team weren’t at the conference just to attract biobased businesses however, they also came to learn. “We want to see what this industry has to offer so we can bring that knowledge back, and,” she said, “to broaden our knowledge of the biorefining industry.”
Robert Best, generated gases asset manager for Air Products, also made the trip to Houston to learn more about the industry. According to Best, Air Products sees the biorefining industry as a major area for future revenue, and recent partnerships with two of the industry’s most established firms has opened the eyes of Best and his team at Air Products to the needs of the biorefinery sector. As the main gas supplier for Kior Inc.’s facility in Mississippi and Ineos Bioenergy’s facility in Florida, Best said he came to Houston to speak with and learn of other companies with similar needs.
The first night event will be followed by several general session panels filled with some of the most prominent names within the industry, including Michael McAdams, president of the Advance Biofuels Association and Wes Bolsen, vice president of government affairs for Coskata Inc. In addition to general session panels, the conference will also include educational and informative breakout panels related to the industry covering four separate topics: pathways and industrial hosts, inputs and supply chains, products and markets, and, capital and strategic partners.
For more information on the conference, visit: http://www.biorefiningconference.com.
For industry reaction to the panel discussions, insider commentary from those in attendance and other information on the 2011 International Biorefining Conference & Trade Show, visit: www.biorefiningmagazine.com.
Posted on Friday, August 26, 2011 at 11:39 AM
Inc. Magazine Unveils Its Annual Exclusive List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies — the Inc.500|5000 — and AOSS Medical Supply, Inc., of Monroe, Louisiana, Ranks No. 4217 with Three-Year Sales Growth of over 29.7%
NEW YORK, August 23, 2011 -- Inc. magazine today ranked AOSS Medical Supply, Inc., headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, NO. 4217 on its fifth annual Inc. 500|5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy— America’s independent entrepreneurs. Online retailer ideeli tops this year’s list. AOSS Medical Supply joins Spirit Airlines, television maker Vizio, Honest Tea, Dunkin Donuts and Metrokane, makers of the Rabbit corkscrew, among other prominent brands featured on this year’s list.
In a stagnant economic environment, median growth rate of 2011 Inc. 500|5000 companies remains an impressive 94 percent. The companies on this year’s list report having created 350,000 jobs in the past three years, and aggregate revenue among the honorees reached $366 billion, up 14 percent from last year.
Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/5000.
Posted on Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 5:23 PM
Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance congratulates AOSS Medical Supply
Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance congratulates AOSS Medical Supply. They have become a certified Minority Business Enterprise as of June 30, 2011, by the Louisiana Minority Supplier Development Council (LMSDC). The LMSDC is based in the City of New Orleans and is the state’s affiliate for the National Minority Supplier Development Council.
“We have poised our company for massive growth and opportunity”, states Eric Liew, CEO of AOSS, “The team at our state’s Minority Development Council were highly knowledgeable and easy to work with during the whole process.”
Posted on Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 3:37 PM
Gov. Jindal and CenturyLink CEO Glen Post announce expansion to create nearly 800 new jobs
Gov. Bobby Jindal and CenturyLink CEO and President Glen Post today announced that the Fortune 500 company and the state have entered into an incentive agreement for CenturyLink to remain headquartered in Monroe, expand its headquarters and produce 800 new jobs in the state by 2016.
These positions will be in addition to the 350-job expansion previously announced in late 2009. By 2016 the incentive agreement calls for the company to have added nearly 1,150 new jobs in northeast Louisiana beyond its employment level in mid-2009.
Louisiana Economic Development estimates that the nearly 800 new, direct jobs averaging more than $65,000, plus benefits should result in the creation of approximately 1,170 indirect jobs, for a total impact of nearly 1,970 new jobs.
Once the expansion as described in the incentive agreement is completed by 2016, LED estimates that CenturyLink will become the top economic-driver company in northeast Louisiana and one of the top 10 economic-driver companies statewide, based on its direct and indirect employment impact.
Posted on Friday, June 24, 2011 at 2:27 PM
CenturyLink to expand, 100s of new jobs for Monroe
CenturyLink announced a major expansion to its Monroe headquarters Tuesday, June 28, 2011, adding hundreds of local jobs and an addition to its campus on U.S. 165 North.
Gov. Bobby Jindal, who said the state provided incentives to help facilitate the expansion, was in Monroe to make the official announcement with CenturyLink president and chief executive Glen Post.
"It's obviously great news for Monroe and for all of Louisiana," Jindal said in an exclusive interview. "It's truly a transformational announcement."
CenturyLink, the largest company headquartered in Louisiana, already employs about 1,500 workers in Monroe with an annual local payroll exceeding $70 million.
Though Jindal wasn't specific about the number of jobs to be created, other than saying hundreds, sources said it could be between 500 and 700 jobs.
Jindal committed state resources to facilitate another CenturyLink expansion in 2009 after the company acquired Embarq Corp.
"We've worked with the leadership there since 2009, and I can't say enough great things about (Post), his team and the company's board," Jindal said.
"This will mean hundreds of new, great-paying jobs, a capital expansion and a partnership with the state and Louisiana Tech University."
Jindal didn't expand on CenturyLink's relationship with Tech.
"Securing CenturyLink's headquarters in Monroe also provides economic development opportunities for other companies that will locate there to do business with CenturyLink."
CenturyLink will generate about $20 billion in annual revenue after it completes an acquisition of Savvis Inc., the third in a series of mergers that has made CenturyLink the second largest telecommunications company in the U.S. behind only AT&T.
The company acquired Embarq in 2009 and closed a deal to buy Qwest Communications of Denver earlier this year.
Posted on Saturday, May 14, 2011 at 6:32 PM
NELEA honored with awards for economic development efforts
The Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance (NELEA) has been diligently committed to creating business opportunities, economic growth and hundreds of jobs for the northeast region of Louisiana. Now that hard work is paying dividends. This past year we swept the economic development awards by Southern Business and Development, including:
- Small Market of the Year (all of our work and projects landed)
- Excellence in Green Economy Recruitment Award (ConAgra)
- Agribusiness Deal of the year (Foster Farms)
- Food Processing Deal of the year (ConAgra)
NELEA is currently working on two certified sites to be completed this year, the Franklin property in Ouachita Parish, and Huenefeld property in Ouachita Parish. These two properties will give the region another mega site of approximately 2200 acres. The economic development organization is also working with ULM on developing a Research Park to be put into this site.
In other news, NELEA has partnered with Louisiana Delta Community College, locating its primary office in the Technology Center. Tana Trichel, CEO/President of NELEA stated, “We believe that our location there cements our ability to demonstrate to prospects the training capabilities of our Region.”
The NELEA projects in northeast Louisiana were key to the state receiving the CiCi Award from Trade & Industry magazine.
About NELEA: Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance is a private, not-for-profit corporation utilizing local, state, federal and private resources and programs to enhance the available economic elements present in our region to promote and grow the regional resources leading to a vibrant economy. We provide technical assistance, loan programs, technical communication, education, community enhancement, marketing and business retention to enhance our economy. We preside as the Coordinating Responsible Authority for the Northern and Central Renewal Communities representing the poorest areas of Louisiana.
Posted on Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 1:19 PM
Louisiana Jumps To Third Best In The U.S. For Business Investment In 2010
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Site Selection magazine today released its annual "Governor's Cup" rankings, in which Louisiana's national economic development projects ranking improved 12 spots to third best in the U.S., behind only Texas and Ohio. The ranking was Louisiana's highest ever in the 23-year history of the "Governor's Cup" project rankings. Additionally, on a per-capita basis, Louisiana's ranking jumped from ninth in 2009 to first in the U.S. for 2010.
The "Governor's Cup" measures the quantity of significant business development projects for the calendar year. The announcement marks another significant improvement for Louisiana, which overall was ranked 15th in 2009 and 27th in 2008.
"This ranking is yet another example of our state's strong economic momentum and shows why it's critical to keep taxes low and invest in workforce development programs," said Gov. Jindal. "By any reasonable measure, Louisiana's economy has outperformed the South and the U.S. since the beginning of the national recession, and we're just getting started. We're going to continue to aggressively pursue business investment for our state so that our sons and daughters can raise their families and pursue their careers right here in Louisiana."
"Since day one we have made economic development and job creation the top priority of our administration," said Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret. "Thanks to this focus, including our efforts to create a more competitive business climate, aggressively support small business development and provide turnkey workforce solutions for expanding companies, we continue to receive positive national recognition for our economic results. We will continue to work hard every day to help position Louisiana's economy to outperform the South and U.S. on a regular basis."
Since January 2008, LED has secured projects that will create more than 39,500 new direct and indirect jobs and more than $8.5 billion in new capital investment, as well as billions in new sales for small businesses. Louisiana's improved ranking was the result of a wide variety of business investment decisions in 2010. For example, Nucor Corp. announced a multiphase iron and steel production facility in St. James Parish that could create 1,250 jobs and $3.4 billion in capital investment. Globalstar Inc. announced the relocation of its corporate headquarters and product development activities from Silicon Valley to Covington, La., a project that will result in more than 500 new, high-paying jobs. Aeroframe Services is in the process of adding more than 300 new, high-paying jobs to its facility at Chennault International Airport in Southwest Louisiana. Blade Dynamics Ltd., the result of a partnership between Dow Venture Capital and American Superconductor Corp., is launching a 600-job project at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, focused on manufacturing high-tech wind turbine blades and components.
In its 2010 "Governor's Cup" awards, Site Selection also recognized several metropolitan areas in Louisiana:
- New Orleans placed 10th among metropolitan areas with populations over 1 million.
- Baton Rouge placed first among metropolitan areas with populations between 200,000 and 1 million, while Shreveport-Bossier City and Houma-Thibodaux ranked fourth and fifth in this category.
- Lake Charles ranked first among metropolitan areas with populations between 50,000 and 200,000, while Monroe and Alexandria ranked fourth and sixth in this category.
- Morgan City ranked seventh among micropolitan areas with populations between 10,000 and 50,000, while Hammond and New Iberia tied for ninth in this category.
Site Selection's "Governor's Cup" rankings are based on the quantity of new and expanded facilities as tracked by Conway Data Inc.'s New Plant Database, which focuses on new corporate location projects with significant impact. It does not track retail and government projects, schools or hospitals. New facilities and expansions included in the rankings must meet at least one of three criteria: (a) capital investment of at least $1 million; (b) creation of at least 50 new jobs; or (c) addition of at least 20,000 square feet of new floor area.
Site Selection magazine, published by Conway Data Inc., delivers expansion planning information to 44,000 executives of fast-growing firms. Read more about Site Selection's Governor's Cup Awards at www.siteselection.com.
Posted on Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 1:17 PM
Gov. Jindal, Kennedy Rice Dryers Announce New Rice Mill In Mer Rouge
MER ROUGE, La. -- Today, Gov. Bobby Jindal joined Kennedy Rice Dryers Founder and President Elton Kennedy, U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander and Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain to announce Kennedy Rice Mill, a subsidiary of Kennedy Rice Dryers, will establish a new rice mill in Mer Rouge.
This project will create 22 new direct jobs and represent a capital investment of $10 million. The mill will run two shifts, but could add a third shift, which would increase the job count to roughly 30 new direct jobs. Construction on the mill will begin and end during calendar year 2011, and Kennedy Rice Dryers estimates there will be 50 construction jobs created with the project. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the 22 new direct jobs will result in 85 new indirect jobs and will generate approximately $3.5 million in new, state tax revenue and nearly $1.2 million in new, local tax revenue over the next 10 years.
"The new Kennedy Rice Mill is great news for Mer Rouge, Morehouse Parish and Northeast Louisiana," said Gov. Jindal. "When International Paper closed its mill in Bastrop, La., we made a promise to work with the leaders of the impacted communities to develop a plan that would get the area back on its feet. Today's announcement is another significant step in the right direction, and we will continue to aggressively pursue more job opportunities for the people of Mer Rouge, Bastrop, Morehouse Parish and all of Louisiana.
"This new mill will create 22 new direct jobs and include a capital investment of $10 million. It will run two shifts, with the possibility of the company adding a third shift, which would increase the job total to around 30 new direct jobs. Construction on the mill will begin and end this year, and Kennedy Rice Dryers estimates that there will be 50 construction jobs created by this project. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the 22 new direct jobs will result in another 85 new indirect jobs."
Elton Kennedy is not new to the milling industry. He served as an active board member for Riviana Foods, an international rice company, for more than 20 years. Kennedy is also co-operator in the Godchaux Abbeville family partnership of Planters Mill located in Abbeville, La.
"The new mill in Mer Rouge, along with Planters, will play an important role in producing and maintaining products that meet and exceed the safe quality foods standards produced by the Food Marketing Institute," said Kennedy. "We will use the latest milling equipment and will include some of the most advanced technology in the industry. This addition will enable us to better serve our farmers and existing customers throughout the U.S. and reach out to new customers."
Once complete, the new mill will be one of the few new rice mills built in the region over the last quarter century, and will be the only rice mill from Southern Arkansas to I-10. As a result, farmers in North Louisiana will have a new market for their rice with more favorable freight rates. The new mill is also expected to process 30 percent to 40 percent of the Northeast Louisiana rice crop, and approximately 95 percent of Kennedy Rice Mill's sales will ship to out-of-state destinations.
"Elton Kennedy continues to lead the way in the agriculture industry with the construction of this state-of-the-art rice mill in North Louisiana," said Alexander. "This much needed rice mill in North Louisiana will help meet the needs of the many rice farmers throughout Louisiana and South Arkansas with its unique technology. This mill will help enable Louisiana rice farmers to continue to be the leaders in producing quality agriculture products to be sold around the world."
Along with the DG Foods expansion that was announced in December 2010, Kennedy Rice Mill is the second project LED has secured in less than three months in Morehouse Parish. LED began working with Kennedy Rice Dryers in 2010. To help secure this project, LED offered the company an incentive package that includes customized workforce solutions from Louisiana FastStart™, a 5 percent to 6 percent rebate on new payroll expenses and certain sales taxes from the Quality Jobs Program, property tax abatement for materials used in new manufacturing from the Industrial Tax Exemption Program and performance-based financial assistance of approximately $300,000 for infrastructure improvements from the Economic Development Loan Opportunity Program.
"The Kennedy Rice Mill underscores how important rice is to the Louisiana agricultural economy," said Strain. "With an annual economic impact of $500 million or more, rice is our fifth largest commodity. We are the third largest U.S. rice producer with more than 464,000 acres in production. Our farmers grow more than three billion pounds of rice a year to supply an expanding world market. The Kennedy Rice Mill is another large agricultural project that emphasizes how important agriculture is to the economic health of Louisiana."
Posted on Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 1:16 PM
Affiliated Mortgage Co. Announces Expansion In Monroe
MONROE, La. -- Today, Gov. Bobby Jindal joined Benchmark Bank Chairman and CEO Mike Barnett, Affiliated Mortgage Co. President Dan Hastings and Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo to announce Benchmark Bank's subsidiary, Affiliated Mortgage Co., or AMC, of West Monroe, La., has committed to retain and expand its operations in Northeast Louisiana.
Benchmark Bank originally considered moving AMC operations to another state to accommodate the expansion, but the company decided to stay and grow in the Monroe area. To accommodate AMC's expansion, Benchmark Bank has purchased a new, larger building in Monroe, and AMC will move into its new location in February 2011. This project will create 137 new direct jobs, retain 41 existing jobs and generate more than $2 million capital investment. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the 137 new direct jobs will result in approximately 80 new indirect jobs, and will generate $6.1 million in new, state tax revenues and $1.9 million in new, local tax revenues over the next 10 years.
"This is great news for Northeast Louisiana and our entire state," said Gov. Jindal. "Again and again, thanks to innovative economic development efforts and our pro-business economic reforms, companies are committing to stay and grow in Louisiana rather than expand in other states. As a result, Louisiana's economy continues to outperform the South and U.S. by significant margins. And that's why business retention and expansion efforts will remain our top economic development priority."
"Benchmark Bank/AMC is happy to be in Monroe and we look forward to growing this business there," said Barnett. "The state of Louisiana has provided great economic incentives to keep the business there and the purchase of this new building ensures that we will be in Monroe for a long time."
"We are all very excited about this new building," said Hastings. "Our group used to occupy the building, so it will be the perfect setup for our business. We love Monroe and have a great relationship with the city and the state."
"The city council and I are once again proud to have another company come to Monroe," said Mayo. "We appreciate Gov. Jindal and LED for working with Affiliated Mortgage to retain jobs in our area in addition to creating 137 new direct jobs and 80 new indirect jobs."
To secure the expansion, LED offered its Quality Jobs program, which provides a 5 percent to 6 percent payroll rebate for each qualifying new job, and also provides certain sales tax rebates for capital expenditures for up to 10 years.
Posted on Thursday, August 12, 2010 at 4:10 PM
Louisiana selected as "Most Improved State For Business"
BATON ROUGE, La. — Today, Pollina Corporate Real Estate Inc. released its annual rankings of business-friendly states; and Louisiana earned Pollina's first-ever Most Improved State designation based on its improved ranking from 2008 to 2010. Louisiana ranked 20th on the 2010 list, up from 27th in 2009 and 40th in 2008.
Pollina ranks the 50 states based on several dozen factors, including business taxes, workforce training programs, workers compensation costs, economic development incentives, energy costs, marketing programs and state economic development efforts.
Pollina's 2010 report states, "Louisiana has shown astounding progress. No other state has ever shown this type of movement, going up 20 places in rank in such a short time ... Louisiana is on its way to the economic development Super Bowl ... We meet with many companies every year in the course of our business, and we have noticed an increase in the number of companies that are considering a move to the state or want to have the state evaluated as a potential location."
Louisiana's improved ranking from 2008 to 2010 was based on a variety of factors, including the creation of Louisiana Economic Development's Business Expansion and Retention Group; the creation and/or enhancement of targeted business incentive programs, such as the new Retention and Modernization Program and the recently enhanced Digital Media Incentive; the launch of Louisiana FastStart™; LED's new website, OpportunityLouisiana.com and recent marketing campaigns; and improved perceptions of Louisiana among top site selection consultants and corporate executives.
"With our nation still enduring tough economic times and our state facing major job losses associated with the federal deepwater drilling moratorium, our efforts to retain and attract jobs are more important than ever," said Gov. Bobby Jindal. "We don't want our kids to have to leave Louisiana to pursue their dreams; we want them to find their best career opportunities and be able to raise their families right here in Louisiana. This recognition is another sign that we have made the right choice by making economic development our top priority since day one."
The 50 states were scored in two stages: Stage I evaluates labor, taxes, education and several other factors; whereas, Stage II evaluates incentive programs, including those for existing or expanding businesses and for small businesses, and the performance of state economic development agencies. Most states in the South declined in overall rank from 2008 to 2010. In the South, only Louisiana and Oklahoma jumped five spots or more from 2008 to 2010.
In April, Site Selection magazine ranked LED the second best performing state economic development agency in the U.S., which represented Louisiana's first-ever appearance in the top 10. In July, Southern Business & Development magazine ranked Louisiana Co-state of the Year for the second year in a row for securing more significant business development wins per capita than any other Southern state in both 2008 and 2009. Last week, LED's comprehensive workforce development program for expanding companies, Louisiana FastStart, was ranked the best state workforce training program in the country by Business Facilities magazine.
"While we are very pleased with our progress, we are going to continue working hard to reposition Louisiana as one of the very best states in the U.S. in which to start, grow or relocate a business," said LED Secretary Stephen Moret. "This is just the beginning."
Posted on Friday, January 29, 2010 at 3:31 PM
Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance President/CEO featured in Economic Quarterly magazine
The president and CEO of the Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance (NELEA), Tana Trichel was recently featured in the Louisiana Economic Quarterly magazine. Also featured was Franklin Farm, Louisiana’s Automotive Mega Site.
Download the magazine as a PDF here.
Posted on Monday, January 11, 2010 at 12:27 PM
Louisiana Export Guide: Helping Louisiana companies go global
The Louisiana District Export Council, in cooperation with the U.S. Export Assistance Center in New Orleans, and ThinkGlobal Incorporated, has developed a new Louisiana Export Guide. This colorful, magazine-style guide serves as an informational resource for Louisiana exporters.
The purpose of the guide is to provide Louisiana companies with expert advice and answers to frequently asked questions about exporting. It also includes information about key contacts, web sites and other resources for exporters.
To make changes to your listing or request a new listing, please contact Ms. Jean M. Collins at the New Orleans U.S. Export Assistance Center, 504-589-6546 or send an email to jean.collins@mail.doc.gov.
Download the 2009-2010 edition here.
Posted on Monday, April 6, 2009 at 10:55 PM
Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance launches new website
The Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance (NELEA) has announced the launch of a brand-new website located on the web at http://www.nelea.us.
The site features many helpful new features, including a realtime news and events system to keep visitors informed and up-to-date about the efforts of NELEA.
Creative director for the project, Micah Touchet of NewBirth Creative Design Agency, said the list of must-have features to be implemented was long, but he touts the finished product as rivaling or surpassing any other site in the industry.
“We knew that the amount of information to be presented to the client was very massive, and if not properly organized, would be inefficient and unhelpful. For this reason, we took a great deal of time researching usability, wire-framing and the navigation hierarchy.”
The site is several hundreds of pages, and it features a built-in search engine function on every page to assist with finding the proper information desired.
“We built the site to utilize the World Wide Web Consortium recommendations, including Valid XHTML 1.0 Strict and Valid CSS 3 coding,” stated Touchet. “We also were careful to include accessibility features and function, using the guidelines of Section 508 of the Disabilities Act.”
Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance will be adding more information to the site as time progresses.
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Who we are
Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance is a private, not-for-profit corporation utilizing local, state, federal and private resources and programs to enhance the available economic elements present in our region to promote and grow the regional resources leading to a vibrant economy.
What we do
We provide technical assistance, loan programs, technical communication, education, community enhancement, marketing and business retention to enhance our economy. We preside as the Coordinating Responsible Authority for the Northern and Central Renewal Communities representing the poorest areas of Louisiana.
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