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Posted on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 12:54 PM
Louisiana rockets upward in Site Selection Magazine's "Governor's Cup" economic development ranking
Last week, Site Selection magazine released its annual "Governor's Cup" rankings, in which Louisiana's national economic development projects ranking improved 12 spots from 27th in 2008 to 15th in 2009. On a per-capita basis, Louisiana's ranking rocketed from 33rd in 2008 to ninth in 2009 -- an improvement of 24 spots.
Louisiana's per-capita project results for 2009 were considerably better than most other Southern states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and West Virginia.
"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. 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."
Since January 2008, LED has secured projects that will create more than 35,000 new direct and indirect jobs and more than $4.6 billion in new capital investment, as well as billions in new sales for small businesses.
Site Selection also recognized the Capital Region and the Northeast Region in its 2009 rankings. The Capital Region tied for third place with 30 economic development projects among tier two metropolitan areas, and the Northeast Region tied for 10th place with eight economic development projects among tier three metropolitan areas.
Site Selection's rankings are based on new and expanded facilities 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, or schools and hospitals. New facilities and expansions included in the analyses 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.
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 Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 11:21 AM
City of Vidalia announces Louisiana Elastomer, LLC $4 million expansion
City of Vidalia and Louisiana Elastomer, LLC (LAEL) announce the construction of a 36,000 square foot building in the Vidalia Industrial Park. D. Michael Wells, President/CEO of Louisiana Elastomer, LLC stated, “When we made the decision to expand our operation, we couldn’t think of anyone better to do business with than the City of Vidalia.” The new building will be located adjacent to the existing LAEL plant and will produce and house the treatment chemical compounds used in the recycling process. “Producing this product in house will allow us to save on transportation cost, and most importantly on time,” stated Wells. Wells went on to explain that LAEL currently brings in the treatment compound from Minnesota. Purchasing from Minnesota presents logistic problems, especially in the winter, adds to our freight costs, and LAEL can self-manufacture at a lower cost. When delays occur LAEL is unable to process the rubber.
With this new plant, LAEL will make a capital investment of approximately $4 million and will create an additional 86 jobs by 2012 that will pay above the parish average wage. “We initially announced approximately 400 new jobs over a period of 10 years. The company is still planning to create those jobs over a period of time, but future expansions & facilities may be necessary to do so. Therefore, we decided to break the project down and focus on this expansion, which will ultimately create 86 jobs by 2012,” says Heather Malone, Director of Concordia Economic & Industrial Development District. “86 quality jobs and $ 4 million capital investment in the Miss Lou will definitely boost our economy,” stated Richard Young, Chairman of Concordia Economic & Industrial Development District.
The City of Vidalia is leasing the land and the building to LAEL, which required the City to go before the bond commission in order to build the building. The lease agreement is for 25 years and LAEL will have an option to buy the building once the lease is up. The building will be 36,000 square feet and will be located next to LAEL’s existing building on DA Biglane Road. “We initially planned to build this facility in the old Industrial Park next to BASF, but after much discussion it was decided that it is more cost effective to the company to build this facility as close to their existing plant as possible,” said Mayor Hyram Copeland, City of Vidalia. “We are excited that LAEL decided to expand their operations in Vidalia and we look forward to continuing and growing our relationship with the company,” expressed Copeland.
Louisiana Elastomer’s existing 50,000 square foot building sits on 25 acres in the Vidalia Industrial Park and employs 35 residents of the Miss Lou. LAEL currently runs three recycling lines: EPDM, Butyl and Tires and ships the final product to manufacturers in China and Sri Lanka to name a few.
Concordia Economic & Industrial Development District has been established for the primary purpose of promoting and encouraging economic and industrial development. In achieving its purpose, CEIDD will stimulate the economy by renewing existing, and by attracting new commerce & industry. This will ultimately develop natural & human resources in the area by providing job opportunities.
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 Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 4:19 PM
Rural Northeast Louisiana is enjoying the success of new and homegrown projects
By Lee Burlett
Like many parts of the rural South, Northeast Louisiana has faced the challenges of restarting its economy. In four short years, three of Northeast Louisiana's largest employers, State Farm, Guide Corp. and International Paper, closed their operations in the region, eliminating 2,400 well-paid jobs. Then came the recession.
The multiple parishes that make up the Northeast Louisiana region, one that is bordered by Arkansas to the north and Mississippi to the east, represent an area that has been particularly hit hard ... in the good times. But when push came to shove during this recession, local and state economic development leaders worked together to land some of the South's most visible projects to that p art of the state. Even more, at about the same time, investment in homegrown businesses saw huge returns. Today, the region represents one of the finest examples of successful rural economic development in the South.
The first big bombshell that signaled Northeast Louisiana's economy was back from the depths came in the form of one of the South’s most innovative projects. In June of 2009, the first next-generation car plant ever announced in the South was made in Monroe, La. the largest metropolitan area in the region.
V-Vehicle Company, a new startup automaker funded in part by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) and other well known companies and individuals, including T. Boone Pickens, announced in June it would refit the former Guide plant in Monroe in order to assemble a new automobile that as of yet has not been unveiled. KPCB, the California-based venture capital firm, has had a few other successes in its funding efforts, namely Google, Intuit, Quicken, Amazon.com, Intel, Electronic Arts, Genentech, and Sun Microsystems.
With help from Louisiana Economic Development, the Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance and the former Guide plant's owner, Ruston, La. businessman James Davison, the V-Vehicle deal was done. An estimated 1,400 jobs could be created by V-Vehicle and capital investment in the project is estimated at $248 million.
The second new industry bomb to make news in Northeast Louisiana in 2009 came from ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston. The notable food processor is investing $210 million and creating at least 500 jobs for the first large-scale processing facility in the world dedicated to high quality, frozen sweet potato products. The project is being built in rural Delhi, La. Upon completion, the ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston facility is expected to become the largest private employer in Richland Parish as well as one of the 10-largest private sector employers in Northeast Louisiana.
After landing ConAgra and V-Vehicle, Northeast Louisiana wasn't done in 2009. CenturyLink, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Monroe, La., announced in late November that it will keep its headquarters in Louisiana and add 350 new jobs. In July, Louisiana-based CenturyTel acquired Kansas-based EMBARQ to form CenturyLink. Since the merger, Louisiana officials have been working with the company in an effort to keep its headquarters in Louisiana.
Following the three aforementioned large projects was Gardner Denver Thomas' (GDT) new 80,000-square-foot facility expansion in Monroe. GDT is consolidating the company's Thomas Product Division from Sheboygan, Wis., to Monroe, La. The deal allows the company to retain 70 jobs in Monroe and create more than 200 new jobs in the expansion.
New projects are not the only ones that have found rural Northeast Louisiana of late. Homegrown successes, particularly companies that have hatched from Northeast Louisiana-based university environments, have emerged, too. There are several noted centers of higher learning in the region, including the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Grambling State University and Louisiana Tech University.
Network Foundation Technologies (NFT — or NiFTy TV), based in Ruston, La., has developed a new kind of Web broadcasting technology that delivers an affordable, easy-to-use, around-the-clock, television-style Internet broadcast. The technology has a catchy name — NiFTy TV.
NiFTy TV was founded by Professor Mike O'Neal and Marcus Morton on the campus of Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, La. Morton is a graduate of Louisiana Tech, grew up in North Louisiana and returned to Ruston after selling his first technology company to EarthLink in 2001.
To get started, NiFTy TV used Louisiana Economic Development's Angel Investor Tax Credit Program, which rewards qualified individual investors for investing in wealth-creating businesses. The company is also utilizing Louisiana's Digital Media Tax Credit and the Quality Jobs Program.
Rural Northeast Louisiana's success in 2009 is undoubtedly one of the best small town South stories of the year. Tana Trichel, President and CEO of the Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance gave us her take on the region's new found success. "Our state’s improved business friendly environment, which we have spent several years crafting, and our stepped-up recruiting activities are attracting some very major players and creating long-desired employment growth. We are still marketing Louisiana’s premier 6,500-acre Franklin Farm site near Monroe, La. We can certainly play with the big boys."
The site Ms. Trichel mentioned — Franklin Farms — is one of the South's most impressive supersites, giving the Northeast Louisiana region an attractive product for large industrial users that few rural areas can claim. Landing a large user on the Franklin Farm site would just about seal the deal for one of the South's most successful rural economic development stories in recent years.
For more information on other successful rural economies go to www.SmallTownSouth.com.
Read this article here.
Posted on Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 4:14 PM
CenturyLink Announces major headquarters expansion, 350 new jobs
MONROE, La. — Today, Gov. Bobby Jindal and CenturyLink CEO and President Glen Post announced an agreement that will maintain CenturyLink's corporate headquarters in Louisiana and add 350 Louisiana-based jobs over the next four years. The governor made the announcement following a meeting with CenturyLink's board of directors. Over the last several months, Gov. Jindal and his economic development team have been working with CenturyLink executives to establish a plan that would ensure the long-term competitiveness of the company in Louisiana.
Gov. Jindal said, "Today's announcement is a huge win for Monroe and Northeast Louisiana — and it caps off an historic year of job creation in Northeast Louisiana. CenturyLink has been one of our state's top private-sector employers for many years, which is why we worked aggressively after the announcement of the merger to develop a comprehensive support plan to ensure that CenturyLink will stay and grow right here for many years to come. Today, we're announcing a new partnership that will not only retain CenturyLink in Louisiana for the long term, but will also create more opportunity for the people of Northeast Louisiana so they can find rewarding careers and pursue their dreams right here at home."
In July 2009, CenturyTel acquired Kansas-based EMBARQ to create an industry leading communications provider — a company with an expanded suite of products and solutions for its customers and communities, as well as greater financial strength and stability. Immediately after the merger was announced, and to ensure that the headquarters remained in Louisiana, Gov. Jindal called for Louisiana Economic Development to engage company executives to develop a support plan to retain and grow CenturyLink employment in Louisiana.
Now the fourth-largest local exchange telephone company in the United States and Louisiana's third Fortune 500 company, CenturyLink has more than 7.1 million access lines and more than 2.1 million broadband customers and 20,000 employees in 33 states. The company is a leading provider of high-quality voice, broadband and video services with advanced communications networks reaching consumers and businesses.
"The merger with EMBARQ is a defining event in our company's history," said Post. "Our growth opportunities across the nation and here in Louisiana represent an exciting future for our company and our employees. The state has stepped up to make Louisiana more business friendly; and we appreciate their efforts and the incentives being put forth today and in the years to come. Our people are the engine that drives our success, and we will continue to add jobs and training to enhance the quality of our workforce."
Under the terms of today's agreement, CenturyLink has committed to increase its Louisiana workforce by adding at least 100 jobs in 2010, an additional 150 in 2011, and 50 in each of 2012 and 2013. The agreement requires that the newly added jobs will be maintained through at least 2019 with an average compensation of at least $45,000, plus benefits. The agreement also calls for CenturyLink's corporate headquarters to remain in Louisiana through at least 2019, with incentive reimbursements being owed should that not be the case.
In addition to the new direct jobs, this expansion is also expected to lead to the creation of more than 520 new, permanent indirect jobs. In the next 10 years, LED estimates that the expansion will generate $20.3 million in new state tax revenues and $13.5 million in new local tax revenues, excluding the value of any new property taxes.
In total, Gov. Jindal has announced economic development wins in Northeast Louisiana that have a total direct and indirect impact of more than 10,000 jobs and more than half a billion dollars of capital investment.
"When the merger was announced, we saw it as an exciting opportunity for CenturyTel, but also as a potential threat to the company's professional employment in Louisiana," said LED Secretary Stephen Moret. "Typically mergers are expected to generate operating synergies that often lead to job losses. Accordingly, Gov. Jindal charged us with assembling a team to work with CenturyLink executives on a plan to enhance the combined company's long-term competitiveness in Louisiana while also increasing its professional employment in our state."
The company will receive performance-based assistance from the Rapid Response Fund of up to $5 million over four years for personnel relocation costs and integration expenses associated with creating the new jobs, as well as up to $600,000 over two years to defray air transportation expenses associated with the merger. The company also is expected to take advantage of the Quality Jobs Program, as well as to continue taking advantage of the Tax Equalization Program.
With funding support from the state of $300,000 per year for the next three years, Louisiana Tech University will establish the Clarke M. Williams Professorship in Telecommunications and will collaborate with CenturyLink to plan and design courses to serve the advanced education needs of the company's workforce. The goal of this effort will be to establish a certificate program that will build upon the prior education and training of the employees and to provide them with the skills needed for success in further professional and technical development. It is anticipated that the certificate program will include both business and technical courses.
Clarke M. Williams, CenturyTel's founder, began managing the family owned Oak Ridge Telephone Company in 1946. Through the decades, he grew the communications company into the former CenturyTel, now CenturyLink. From 1946 until his death in 2002, Williams served as both the inspiration and an example of true leadership for the employees of CenturyLink and the citizens of Louisiana.
About CenturyLink
CenturyLink is a leading provider of high-quality voice, broadband and video services over its advanced communications networks to consumers and businesses in 33 states. CenturyLink, headquartered in Monroe, La., is an S&P 500 company and expects to be listed in the Fortune 500 list of America's largest corporations. For more information on CenturyLink, visit www.centurylink.com.
Read this article here
Posted on Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 12:18 PM
Annual NELEA meeting reflects 2009 successes
By Greg Hilburn
DELHI — The Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance's annual meeting last year was a somber affair following the closure of International Paper's Bastrop mill.
But Monday's had a distinctly upbeat tone, considering three major job-creating projects came on line and the chicken processing plant in Union Parish was rescued from closure in 2009.
And that doesn't include last week's announcement that Myriant Technologies has secured a $50 million federal grant that will allow the company to build a $60 million biorefinery plant at the Lake Providence Port that will create at least 40 permanent jobs.
"This has been the most exciting year I've ever experienced in economic development," said Tana Trichel, president of NELEA. "It's every economic developer's dream to participate in these kinds of projects."
Among the wins: the 600-job ConAgra sweet potato processing plant in Richland Parish; the 1,400-job V-Vehicle Co. plant; Gardner Denver's 230-job expansion in Ouachita Parish; and the 1,100 jobs preserved by Foster Farms' purchase of the former Pilgrim's Pride plant in Farmerville.
"I remember vividly what you were facing last year with the International Paper closure," said Mary Jo Hanover with Louisiana Economic Development. "I want to add my voice to the chorus of congratulations for a job well done. There was a bumper crop of job-creation projects in 2009."
U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-Quitman, called northeastern Louisiana "the envy of the state right now because of all the good things going on in our region."
But Trichel said there is more to do, like finding an automotive assembly project for the state's Franklin Farms industrial megasite in Richland Parish.
"It's a good site, and trust me, we're going to make it happen," she said.
Hanover, the state's automotive team project director, agreed.
"We're getting the word out across the world about Franklin Farms," Hanover said. "Our dream is to land an auto assembly plant in northeastern Louisiana. We know we can do it."
Posted on Friday, August 7, 2009 at 6:16 PM
Impact to ripple beyond Richland
By Stephen Largen
Tana Trichel, president of the Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance, is confident the arrival of ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston's sweet potato processing plant near Delhi will have far-reaching effects on the regional and state economy.
"This community will change," she said.
"If you look at this community five years from now you won't recognize it. There will be apartments. There will be other businesses. It's going to make a big impact."
Wednesday's announcement that the plant will locate in Richland Parish also highlighted the results of an LSU economic impact study that suggests the new facility will provide an injection of $2.1 to $2.4 billion in new state economic output from 2009 to 2025.
The study estimates that at least 500 on-site jobs will be created and at least 1,400 indirect jobs will follow.
At least $70 million in new state tax revenues, excluding increased corporate income taxes, will come during the course of the cooperative endeavor agreement between the company and the state.
LSU estimates local governments will receive $19 million to $22 million in new tax revenues over the life of the agreement.
The new facility's average salary of about $35,00 plus benefits will be about 30 percent higher than the current average salary per job in Richland Parish, and about 44 percent higher than the current per capita income in the parish.
Trichel said the facility will have impacts beyond Richland Parish.
"They'll hire probably for a good 30-mile radius," she said.
"So it's going to catch every single parish. And that's an easily commutable distance for anyone who wants a good job. The jobs have benefits, 401ks, savings, health insurance and those jobs are harder and harder for a business to accommodate. Per capita income going up, the collateral jobs that will come with it will just build the tax base and it'll help the schools, the police department, the fire department, and it will help economic development."
Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain said the facility will be a boon for the state's economy.
"When you take and raise an agriculture product and you process and sell it, those dollars circulate eight to 10 times in the economy," he said. "This means a billion dollars to Louisiana's agricultural economy."
Lev Dawson of Delhi, who farms 4,000 acres of sweet potatoes in Richland and Franklin Parishes, said ConAgra could also expand in the area if the processing plant is a success.
"I wouldn't be surprised if ConAgra — if they have a good experience here — wouldn't add to their product line," he said.
"They tend to do that. Meaning they might be able to make some soybean products, some rice products and we also grow a lot of wheat. This sort of product factory — they've got a lot of land — they can keep adding on to it. I wouldn't be surprised if we got up to a lot more than 500 jobs."
The area population could also expand.
"They tell me that when they move into small communities like this it usually increases the population by about 2,000," Dawson said.
"They are five miles from the poorest zip code in the United States. So people have an opportunity to work now."
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.
Posted on Monday, April 6, 2009 at 10:31 PM
Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance supports the Louisiana Delta Initiative
Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance joined local economic development organizations in Northeast Louisiana, Business Persons Mayors in supporting the Louisiana Delta Initiative.
Seeking to provide “One Voice” for initiatives to benefit current needs of the Region, the attendees offered to work together on Broadband, Education, Infrastructure and Partnering for a better Region.
Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance supports this effort and has dedicated resources to map the rest of our Region for existing Broadband service. LSU Ag has mapped West Carroll.
Senator Francis Thompson was the initiator of this massive effort by passing HB 327 creating the organization. We will seek funding to better prepare our region for business creation and expansion and to bring each community forward with services and infrastructure to be truly viable. And we will do this together.
Please join this effort by contacting us at 800 686 6733 and speaking to V.P. Michelle Boothe or by contacting Dr. James Barnes at LSU AG at 318.428.4029.
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Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance is a private membership, 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.
What we do
We provide technical assistance, loan programs, technical communication, education and preside as the Coordinating Responsible Authority for the Northern and Central Renewal Communities.
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NELEA was deeply involved in bringing the Conagra Foods plant to the Delhi, LA community.
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