EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEMaura Donahue Board Chair DonahueFavret Contractors

Tara Hernandez Chair-elect of the Board JCH Development

Michael Hecht President and CEO Greater New Orleans, Inc.

Phil Gunn Treasurer & Finance Chair Postlethwaite & Netterville

Mark Spansel Secretary Adams and Reese

Tommy Faucheux Chair, Policy Committee The Dow Chemical Company

Bill Hoffman Immediate Past Chair Woodward Interests

Mike DeBoer GE Digital

Mike Illanne Chevron

Patricia LeBlanc LeBlanc Fantaci Villio

Gay LeBreton Chaffe & Associates

Carlo Mulvenna Pan American Life Insurance Group

Greg Rusovich Transoceanic Development

ASHTON RYAN First NBC Bank

JAY SEALE Seale & Ross

Ronnie Slone The Slone Group

Guy Williams Gulf Coast Bank & Trust

BOARD OF DIRECTORSDanica Ansardi Ansardi Financial

JUSTIN AUGUSTINE TransDev

Jerry Bologna Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission

Susan Bonnett Northshore Community Foundation

1100 Poydras Street, Suite 3475 New Orleans, LA 70163

504.527.6900 | www.gnoinc.org | @GNOINC

Patricia Brister St. Tammany Parish Government

Sean Burkes Burkes Engineering

Henry Coaxum Coaxum Enterprises

KARL CONNOR BP America

Richard Cortizas Jones Walker

Karen Deblieux Capital One Bank

Greg FEirn LCMC Health

DONNA FRAICHE Baker Donelson

Henry Friloux Echo Ventures

DAVID GAINES Ochsner Health System

Cherreen Gegenheimer Jefferson Parish

Melissa Gibbs Gibbs Construction

Lee Giorgio Select Properties

MICHELLE GOBERT Signs Now

Rick Haas Latter & Blum

Ben Hales New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans

Don Hingle Business First Bank

Karl Hoefer IBERIABANK

Michael Holly Holly & Smith Architects

Leigh King Cox Communications

Bill Langenstein Chaffe McCall

LOUIS LAURICELLA Lauricella Land Company

Wayne Lee Stone Pigman

John Little International Properties

Gary Lorio Whitney Bank

KEN MARNOCH Shell

Ti Martin Commander’s Palace

Steve Molnar Entergy

Todd Murphy Jefferson Chamber of Commerce

Warren Murrell Peoples Health

Roger Ogden Ogden Development & Investments

George Pivach Venice Port Complex

Graham Ralston Regions Bank

Stephen Reuther St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce

Natalie Robottom St. John the Baptist Parish

Taryn Rogers Valero Bobby Savoie Geocent

Melonie Stewart Entergy

Lizette Terral JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.

Mike Tillman Rain CII

Dan Wagner Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana

PAST CHAIR EMERITUSDale Benoit Print All

Bill Hines Jones Walker

Jim Hudson First Bankers Bank

Leslie Jacobs Strategic Comp

Marty Mayer Stirling Properties

Suzanne Mestayer ThirtyNorth Investments

Bill Oliver William A. Oliver Enterprises

Patrick Quinlan Ochsner Health System

Henry Shane Favrot & Shane

BOARD MEMBER FAVITORDavid Darragh Reily Foods

David Fennelly Associated Terminals

Wan Kim Smoothie King

Jay Lapeyre Laitram

Mary Matalin Political Advisor

Matt Wisdom Turbosquid

UNIVERSITY EX-OFFICIOF. King Alexander Louisiana State University

John Crain Southeastern LA University

Joan Davis Delgado Community College

Dale Doty River Parishes Community College

Michael Fitts Tulane University

Larry Hollier LSU Health Sciences Center

Walter Kimbrough Dillard University

Earl Meador South Central LA Technical College

David “Buck” Landry University of Holy Cross

John Nicklow University of New Orleans

C. Reynold Verret Xavier University

William Wainright Northshore Community Technical College

Tommy Warner Nunez Community College

Kevin Wildes Loyola University

ADVISORSAndy Kopplin Greater New Orleans Foundation Kevin Lin Entrepreneur Fernando Rivera South Louisiana Veterans Health Care System

Ryan Seal Washington Parish Economic Development Foundation

PINNACLE INVESTORSCapital One, N.A.ChevronCity of New OrleansEntergyJPMorgan ChaseThe Kresge FoundationLouisiana Economic DevelopmentLouisiana Office of Community DevelopmentNew Orleans Business AllianceThe Rockefeller FoundationU.S. Economic Development AdministrationWalton Family Foundation

CAPSTONE INVESTORSBlue Cross and Blue Shield of LouisianaThe Dow Chemical CompanyFirst NBC BankIBERIABANKJefferson Parish GovernmentJones WalkerRegions BankSt. Tammany Parish GovernmentWhitney Bank

PILLAR INVESTORSAdams and ReeseBart’s Office Furniture RepairsBiz New OrleansBoh Bros. / BroadmoorBP AmericaFavrot & Shane CompaniesGoldring & Woldenberg FoundationsLaitramLCMC HealthNew Orleans Saints and New Orleans PelicansOchsner Health SystemPeoples HealthReily Foods CompanyShell Exploration & ProductionStirling PropertiesWWL-TV

ANCHOR INVESTORSAssociated TerminalsAtmos EnergyBaker DonelsonBanner Automotive GroupBarriere ConstructionThe Boeing CompanyBusiness First BankCanal BargeChalmette RefiningCheniere EnergyCLECOCoats RoseCommander’s PalaceCORE Construction ServicesCox CommunicationsCrescent Bank & TrustCrystal Clear ImagingDelta PersonnelDoerr FurnitureEast Jefferson General HospitalGE DigitalGeocentGibbs ConstructionGoldman Sachs 10,000 Small BusinessesGulf Coast Bank & TrustHannis T. BourgeoisHarrah’s New Orleans CasinoHolly & Smith ArchitectsHyatt Regency New OrleansInternational Matex TankTerminalsJefferson Business CouncilKelly Hart & PitreKent Design BuildLakelawn Metairie Funeral HomeLandis Construction Company

Latter & BlumLauricella Land CompanyLLOG ExplorationMcMath ConstructionNANONew Orleans Baby CakesNorthshore Business CouncilOgden Development & InvestmentsOut of this World ConsultantsPan-American Life Insurance GroupPhelps DunbarPlaquemines Association of Business & IndustryPlaquemines Parish GovernmentPlaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal DistrictPostlethwaite & NettervillePyramid AudioRain CIIRoy Anderson Corp.Sheraton New Orleans HotelSmoothie KingSoutheastern Louisiana UniversitySouthwest AirlinesSt. Charles Parish GovernmentSt. James Parish GovernmentSt. John the Baptist Parish GovernmentStone Pigman Walther WittmannSuperior Energy ServicesTransdev ServicesTransoceanic DevelopmentTulane UniversityTurner IndustriesUNO Research & Technology FoundationValeroWaldemar S. Nelson & Co.Woodward Design+Build

CORNERSTONE INVESTORS365 ConnectAdvantage Capital PartnersAlliant InsuranceAquiana Springs WaterAssociated Builders & ContractorsBellwether TechnologyBrennan’s RestaurantChaffe & AssociatesChenevert ARCHITECTSCity of KennerCornerstone Government AffairsCorporate RealtyCory, Tucker & LarroweCrescent Crown DistributingCSRSDaul Insurance AgencyDonahueFavret ContractorsFishman HaygoodFlorida Parishes BankGameloftGlobalstarHarbor Towing & FleetingHRI PropertiesHumanaHuntington IngallsKean MillerThe Lemoine CompanyLevel 3 CommunicationsLookfarMele PrintingThe Mosaic CompanyNOLA Motorsports ParkPhillips 66Pond & CompanySalmen CompanySouth Louisiana BankSt. Bernard Parish GovernmentStolthaven – New OrleansSyncom Space ServicesTangipahoa Parish GovernmentTCI Packaging

TLC Engineering for ArchitectureTrapolin-Peer ArchitectsTwitterUTSIVenice Port ComplexWashington Parish GovernmentWegmann Dazet & Company

PARTNER INVESTORSAdvantous ConsultingAll South Consulting EngineersAnchor 36 Trucking & LogisticsAssociated Office SystemsAudubon Nature InstituteBrian Gibbs DevelopmentCarver, Darden, Koretzky, Tessier,Finn, Blossman & AreauxChaffe McCallClear Channel AirportsCoca-Cola Bottling CompanyColdwell BankerCon-Tech InternationalDCL Mooring & RiggingDidier ConsultantsDixie MillThe Domain CompaniesDuplantis Design GroupDurr Heavy ConstructionEcho VenturesThe Ehrhardt GroupEnwave New OrleansErnst & YoungFidelity BankFM ServicesGulf Coast Office ProductsHertz Investment GroupHollis CompaniesHome BankThe Hornsby GroupHUB InternationalInternational PropertiesJ.V. Burkes & AssociatesJCH DevelopmentJefferson Capital PartnersJefferson Chamber of CommerceJones Lang LaSalleThe Kearney CompaniesKPMGLaPorte CPAs & Business AdvisorsLeBlanc PartnersMahl & AssociatesMedical Executive PartnersMetairie Bank and Trust CompanyN.O. Steamboat Co./Gray Line ToursNorthwestern Mutual FinancialOMI Environmental SolutionsOmni Air TransportORX ExplorationPalmisano ContractorsPat O’Brien’s BarPeperone PitreThe Personnel Consulting GroupRE/MAX Commercial BrokersSelect PropertiesSizeler Thompson BrownArchitectsThe Slone GroupSouthgroup Insurance – Gulf CoastSumit CreditsThirtyNorth InvestmentsThreeSixtyEightVenice Port CoalitionVintage Church of New OrleansWaggonner & Ball ArchitectsWhere Y’ArtWOW Café & Wingery & PJ’sCoffee of New Orleans

GNO, Inc. Named Top EDO in America Site Selection

GNO, Inc. has 2 Named to Top 50 List Consultant Connect

“Most Dynamic City in America” Worth Magazine

Greater New Orleans is #2 in Total Corporate Facility Wins Site Selection

#2 Most Cost Friendly City KPMG

#2 “Best City in America”, #7 CIty in the World, #1 City for Food in the USA, #2 City For Culture in the USA Travel + Leisure

#1 city in USA in International Tourism Growth National Travel and Tourism Office

#1 City for Most Efficient Public Spending WalletHub

#2 Metro for Lowest Cost of Business, #2 Metro for Entrepreneurship Leaders, #2 Metro for Logistics Leaders Business Facilities

Louisiana FastStart Ranks #1 in the USA for 7th Year in a Row Business Facilities

#6 City for Happiest Workers in the USA Indeed.com

#7 City Destination in the USA for Millennials Realtor.com

#7 Top Metro by Total Wins (South Central) Site Selection

New Orleans is #4 MOST Affordable Destination in the USA U.S. News and World Report

#3 City in the South for Major Projects Southern Business and Development

#9 Most Generous City Barna

#6 State Most Tax Friendly State (Louisiana) Kiplinger

#5 State (Louisiana) for Business Area Development

#2 State Wins per Capita (South Central), #6 State by Wins per Capita (USA), #7 State for Business Site Selection

SEE THE FULL LIST AT GNOINC.ORG/RANKINGS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2016 INVESTORS

& FUNDERS ECONOMIC RANKINGS 2016 2016

GNO GLOBALANNUAL LUNCHEON 2017

GNOINC.ORG/ANNUALLUNCHEON

Dear Friends,

Greater New Orleans has always been global. Our political history is French and Spanish, with large English, German and other influences. Demographically, New Orleans evolved as a rich “ethnic gumbo,” with contributions from Africa to Scandinavia, and Portugal to Asia. Economically, New Orleans was founded as a global port, with the Mississippi providing access for the United States to the world, and the Crescent City as the nexus of the Latin American economy.

But a few decades ago, we began to let our global birthright slip. Starting in the late 1960s, international energy businesses migrated to Houston. Miami took the mantle of “Gateway to the Americas.” And the Atlanta airport, thanks to a former Louisiana airline – Delta – became the busiest in the world. New Orleans didn’t become less loved by the world – that’s unthinkable – but it became less relevant. Greater New Orleans, once a hub of commerce and industry, became more of a cultural spoke.

But following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, something remarkable happened. Fueled by billions in investment and even greater personal commitment, our region began to rebuild – but not the previous iteration of New Orleans from August 28, 2005. We went “back to the future,” and began to resurrect a New Orleans that was once again a world-class region. Forthrightly addressing the syndrome of challenges that had undermined us for decades – from education to corruption to economic development – we began to build a Greater New Orleans that was once again global in aspiration and relevance.

Our efforts resoundingly paid off this year, when British Airways announced it would start direct New Orleans - London service in March 2017, the first direct, non-stop service to Europe since 1982. British Airways was joined by Condor, which will start service in May to Frankfurt. Copa Airlines has also begun nonstop service to Panama City, reopening the Gateway to the Americas. Louis Armstrong International Airport now has more international destinations than ever, and is one of the fastest growing airports in the nation. The international capstone on our revitalized airport is the new terminal under construction, designed by star architect César Pelli, of Argentina.

Greater New Orleans is going global in other substantive ways, as well. Spurred by some of the most attractive business conditions in the country, companies from around the world are investing tens of billions in southeastern Louisiana, making us #1 in the USA for “foreign direct investment” per capita. Dyno Nobel from Australia; Yuhuang from China; Cajo from Finland; Gameloft from France; Denka from Japan; IT Minerals from Mexico; EuroChem from Russia; Blade Dynamics from England. We even got Collision, an Irish-owned technology conference, to move to New Orleans from Las Vegas.

But perhaps most significantly, people from around the world are voting with their feet. Greater New Orleans led the nation in 2016 in international tourism growth, at a stunning 37%. And New Orleans was #1 in the USA in foreign-born migration growth, over 25% (beating out Washington DC). It is one thing for Travel + Leisure to name New Orleans a “Top Ten City in the World;” it is quite another to see this accolade borne out in actual tourism and migration patterns.

In recognition of this return to global form, the theme of GNO, Inc.’s 2017 Annual Meeting is “GNO Global.”

Thank you for making GNO global again.

Michael Hecht President & CEO

This past year was a busy one for the Business Development team, including the announcement of new projects with investments in excess of $8.5B that will bring over 1,000 jobs to the Greater New Orleans region.

Moreover, following years as a GNO, Inc. priority, a regional partnership landed British Airways and Condor, as they announced nonstop flights to London and Frankfurt – the first direct flights to Europe since 1982.

Finally, GNO, Inc. was a lead on the team that moved Collision, the fastest growing U.S. tech conference, from Las Vegas. In its first year, Collision attracted 13,000+ attendees from 109 countries

MULTI-YEAR PRIORITIESGNO, INC.PRODUCT

DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 20162016

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT•WORLDOFWORK&ITEVERYWHERE–Implemented to 60 educators who impact nearly 30,000 elementary and high school students

•GNOCAREERGUIDES–Showcases high-wage, high-demand occupations in Greater New Orleans

Organizational AWARD•GNO, Inc. ranked a “TopEconomicDevelopmentOrganizationintheUSA”, (one of 11 recognized out of 25,000 nationwide) [Site Selection]

INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS•NewdirectflightstoLondon(BritishAirways),Frankfurt(CondorAirlines),andHonduras(ChoiceAire)

•PartnershipsestablishedacrossbusinessandpoliticalcommunityinLAandGulfCoast

•Fouryearsofanalysisandsalestoairlines

FLOOD PROTECTION & RESILIENCE•Over$233milliontoimplementresilienceand

watermanagementprojectsinSELa.•RESTOREActFinalized,providingfundingfor

implementationoftheCoastalMasterPlan•FederalMOUtoExpediteCoastalPermits

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT•WorldofWork&ITEverywhereimplementedtoeducatorswhoimpactnearly30,000elementaryandhighschoolstudents

•GNOCareerGuidesproducedshowcasinghigh-wage,high-demandcareersinGreaterNewOrleans

STATE FISCAL REFORM•Keypolicyitemshavebeenimplemented,

includingTOPSreform,expandingcomputersciencetrainingandrequiringsalestax

collectionsoninternetsales•Co-chairedGovernorJonBelEdwardsEconomicDevelopmentTransitionTeam

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT•NextGenCouncilfamiliarizationtripswereheldinSt.BernardParishandtheNorthshore

•NewpartnershipdevelopedwithregionalYoungProfessionalOrganizations

• InauguralNOLAMade,a“homecoming”eventforNewOrleansexpats

THE NEW ORLEANS BRAND•Co-chairofthe2018TricentennialMediaand

BrandingCommittee•Ledprojecttoestablishthebrandandvisionof

theNorthshoreofthefuture•Over225mentionsinlocalpressandover50in

nationalandinternationalpress

RESEARCH•WATERMANAGEMENTSTATEOFTHESECTORREPORT–Sponsored by Chevron, the Water Management “State of the Sector” details the 40,000+ jobs available in coastal restoration, levee management and other large environmental projects through 2025

1,081NEW JOBS

280 DIRECT

801 INDIRECT

$ 8 . 5 BIN NEW INVESTMENT

FROM ANNOUNCED PROJECTS IN THE GREATER NEW ORLEANS REGION

O V E R

ECOSYSTEM DEVELOPMENT•NEWORLEANSSTARTUPFUND – Supported by GNO, Inc., the NOSF funded nine deals in 2016. Since 2010, the fund has invested $1.75 million in over 25 local companies that in turn have raised over $24 million

•ENTREPRENEURIALECOSYSTEM–Collecting data from all of the regional entrepreneurial organizations, GNO, Inc. produced an analysis of the successes of the ecosystem over the past decade and the challenges to be addressed next

•PANAMASUPERREGIONCANVAS – GNO, Inc. developed and led the first-ever international Super Region Canvas benchmarking trip, with 105 business leaders from GNO, Baton Rouge, Lafayette and the Bayou Region all traveling to Panama City

PUBLIC POLICY• INTERNETSALES – Legislation

to require Louisiana businesses to collect sales tax on internet sales was signed into law, paving the way for Amazon to announce tax collections on sales in Louisiana. Potential value of uncollected sales taxes in Louisiana is estimated at $1.2B and growing

• INCENTIVES – Louisiana’s most valuable job creating incentives, including Quality Jobs and Digital Media, were protected during the course of the three legislative sessions dealing with Louisiana’s structural budget deficit

•NFIP – Reactivated the Coalition for Sustainable Flood Insurance (CSFI) to develop policy solutions to keep flood insurance affordable and improve the sustainability of the program, and identified eight key areas for reform

•CRIMETECHTASKFORCE– GNO, Inc. harnessed the talent of local technology companies to form a group dedicated to technology-led business process improvements for the NOPD. The first three projects identified by the Task Force will put the equivalent of 40 police officers back on the street, and are currently being implemented

MARKETING•Over 225mentionsinlocalpress

and over50innationalandinternationalpress

•Highlights included Bloomberg, Washington Post, Politico, CBS News, Yahoo, Forbes, Travel and Leisure, Worth Magazine, NBA.com, The Hill, CNBC, and more

Plaquemines ParishLNG FACILITY

Orleans Parish LIFE SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY

Regional INTERNATIONAL AIR SERVICE

RegionalTECHNOLOGY & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

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B E S T T O I N V E S T

From Site Selection magazine, May 2016

The Mac Awards

b y P A T T Y R A S M U S S E N

Main Story

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The founder of Conway and Site Selection magazine, McKinley “Mac” Conway, once said, “We arean integral part of a great system that provides a better quality of life for the people of the world. Thissystem develops productive facilities to meet ever­growing needs for food, shelter, clothing andessential services. It provides jobs that sustain families. It pays for medical, education andgovernment services for communities. Without this vital system there would be chaos.

“Specifically, we provide an important communications link between productive companies and thoseseeking to attract them who represent cities, states and nations around the world. We are part of thedevelopment process. We play a role in the future. And we help bring a better quality of life to areastoday.”

I love the passion behind those words. Mac Conway had a passion for making things better — in hiscommunity, his state, in the world. He recognized that same passion in the economic developerswho worked day in and day out to attract the investment that would help the people in theircommunities thrive and prosper. That’s why we use the pages of this magazine to recognize thework of these EDOs.

Site Selection’s newly minted Mac Conway Award for Excellence in Economic Development,formerly known as Top Groups, applauds the Top Economic Development Agencies of the previousyear in both metropolitan and micropolitan areas. While not a ranking, objective criteria are used. Weexamine the total number of jobs created and total amount of investment, as well as per capitainvestment and jobs created in the region. Subjectively, we look at unique ways EDOs areaddressing critical issues in their communities. This year’s awardees are tackling everything fromurban food deserts to workforce education.

We recognize that the highlighted groups are just a sampling of the thousands of outstandingeconomic development professionals toiling away in their communities. We salute you all for thecontributions you are making to create a better quality of life for your citizens.

click each logo for more data +

TOP 2015 METRO GROUPS

Regional ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT