louisiana purchase bicentennial · pdf filecelebrated three new homes built through a unique...

third place, respectively. Arnaudville recognizedthe artist that painted the mural for helping topromote the community. Caldwell Parish wasrecognized for the first time with the new awardfor the booth that best reflected the LouisianaBicentennial, while Zachary was chosen by itspeers as the best booth.

The winning booths, chosen by fourimpartial judges, did an outstanding job ofcelebrating Louisiana’s bicentennial andhighlighting the successes in their communities.The community of Baker even had ThomasJefferson and Napoleon Bonaparte manning itsbooth!

The conference opened with a ’roll call,’giving each of the 81 Team Cities, including thefour newest -- Dubach, Gibsland, Livonia andWestwego --- an opportunity to share somethingabout their community with the audience. MayorHammons of Winnsboro announced that thecommunity was the “Stars & Stripes Capital ofLouisiana” and Debbie Peltier of Donaldsonvillepronounced - “The Lord said let there be light,and then there was Entergy.” Attendees also wereinformed that Denham Springs is celebrating its100th year. A map was shown, highlighting theTeam Cities throughout the state.

“Louisiana’s Bicentennial has the statebuzzing with excitement and we wanted toincorporate that wave of positive momentum intoour conference,” said Jim Hendricks. “We alsoneed to build on it so we can carry thatmomentum to continue on beyond 2003.”

Before presenting the President’s Award,Renae Conley, Entergy Louisiana President andCEO, expressed that we need to continue to getthe word out that Louisiana offers many greatthings, and it is the hard working people such asthe attendees that attracts people to Louisiana.

She also stressed how rooted Entergy is inLouisiana with 5,300 employees, so it’s importantfor the company to assist in developing the

economy of the state. The company invests in thestate beyond economic development, includingimproving and enriching schools, providinggrants for arts & cultural programs, and recentlybuilding houses for low-income families in northLouisiana, and much more.

T E A M W O R K

WORKING FOR A STATE OF EXCELLENCESummer 2003

BUSINESS GROWTH & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT NEWS

I N S I D E2003 Gold Team City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2MetroVision’s Business Retention Program

Wins Prestigious Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3PAL Holds 2003 Conference on the River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5LED Presents Lantern Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Entergy’s Commitment Produces Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Macon Ridge Helps to Build Rural Northeast Louisiana . . . . . . 7Louisiana Bicentennial Celebration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-11LED Honors Louisiana SBA Award Winners. . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Jefferson Parish Bucks National Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial Celebration

Entergy proudly honored the bicentennial ofthe Louisiana Purchase at this year’s annual

Team City Conference held in Baton Rouge June4-5, 2003. This year’s theme could be foundthroughout from the conference invitations to thethirty-two community exhibits.

The usual large gathering of attendees wasable to hear from experts on such as topics asthe global economy and Louisiana’s role, positivethings occurring in Louisiana, federal tax creditprograms, and teamwork and diversity.

They also didn’t miss out on the networkingand entertainment offered with the communityexhibit booths, at the evening reception, andduring the golf tournament.

The EventsThe conference started early Wednesday

with 140 golfers teeing off at Pelican Point. Thesun soaked players competed for first, secondand third place, as well as ‘hole in one’ and‘closest to the hole’ awards. Photos of the 2003winners can be found on page 10.

That evening, a reception was held by JimHendricks, Entergy Louisiana, Director ofEconomic Development, welcoming the 81 activeTeam Cities and also presenting the first, second,and third place ‘Best Booth Awards’ to thewinners. Iberville Parish, Arnaudville, and St.James Parish were awarded first, second and

ADDITIONAL CONFERENCE COVERAGE ON PAGE 10

“Louisiana’s Bicentennial

has the state buzzing

with excitement and we

wanted to incorporate that

wave of positive momentum

into our conference…

We also need to build on it

so we can carry that

momentum to continue on

beyond 2003.”

2 l TEAMWORK LOUISIANA

T E A M W O R K

1. City of Gonzales2. City of Carencro3. City of Zachary4. City of St. Gabriel5. Town of Iberville6. Town of Scott7. City of Lake Charles8. Parish of St. Bernard9. Town of Grand Isle10. Town of Bernice

11. City of Winnsboro12. City of Donaldsonville13. City of St. Francisville14. City of Springfield15. Parish of St. James16. City of Baker17. City of Hammond18. City of Sulphur19. City of White Castle20. Parish of West Baton Rouge

21. The City of Grand Coteau22. City of Bastrop23. City of Monroe24. Parish of Ouachita25. City of Rayville26. City of West Monroe27. City of Springhill28. Parish of Caldwell29. City of Arnaudville30. Parish of Livingston

31. Town of Port Barre32. The Parish of St. John

the Baptist33. The City of Kentwood34. The City of Bogalusa35. The City of Morganza36. The City of New Roads37. City of Dubach38. City of Ponchatoula

2003 Gold Team City

Plaquemines Parish Receives Grantfor Deep Water Port ProjectEntergy’s Bill Peperone presents a grant for a deep water port project proposed for

Plaquemines Parish. The project would be of great economic impact to the southernportion of Plaquemines. Ships that would utilize the port would be large ocean ability crewships and others ocean vessels. The port would be a one stop facility where all supplies canbe obtained, including water, fuel and food. l

W A T C H I N G L O U I S I A N A G R O W

(Left to right) Bob Gravolet, Assessor Plaquemines Parish;Benny Rouselle, Parish President; Jerry Hodnett, Council Chair;Bill Peperone; Phillip Truxillo, CSM; Charlie McCarty, ED

Teamwork Louisiana is published to promote Louisiana and provide an update on the local, nationaland international economic development efforts of Teamwork Louisiana and the people of Louisiana.

If you have comments or suggestions regarding the Teamwork Louisiana newsletter, send them to Bill Peperone, P.O. Box 6100, L-JEF-366, New Orleans, LA 70161-1000 or email [email protected]: www.entergy.com/laed

If you have business location or community development questions, please contact one of these team members:

Jim Hendricks225-763-5057

Bill Peperone504-840-2562

Clif Avant225-763-5062

Merite Cain225-763-5060

Toll-Free (800) 542-2668

Theresa Lange504-840-2570

Director

Support Staff Director, GovernmentalAffairs & EconomicDevelopment

Industrial Recruitment CommunityDevelopment

Comm. Dev. & TradeShows

Clyde Mitchell337-431-6213

Karen Yates225-763-5197

Don Terry318-329-5476

Community Development

ENTERGY LOUISIANA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STAFF

ENTERGY LOUISIANA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STAFF (cont.) ENTERGY NEW ORLEANS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STAFF

Phil Seghers225-763-5132

Industrial Recruitment

Frank Sames504-670-3633

Sam Richardson225-763-5173

Shawn Darrah225-763-5113

Market Research BusinessLINCand New MarketInitiatives

Alvin Garibaldi504-670-3640

Gesele Sabathia504-243-5585

P R E S I D E N T ’ S C O L U M N

At the end of July, it was my privilege to be in Winnsboro for an OpenHouse sponsored by the Single Family Housing Partnership. We

celebrated three new homes built through a unique public-privatecollaboration to provide affordable housing for Louisiana.

The collaboration – between Entergy and the Louisiana Housing andCommunity Development Corporation – reflects Entergy’s strongcommitment to meeting the needs of our low-income customers and toimproving economic opportunities across our region.

LHCDC is a not-for-profit organization established by the Fosteradministration to help provide affordable housing in Louisiana throughan investment of approximately $4 million. Through an agreementestablished in 2001, Entergy and LHCDC created a $500,000 revolvingloan fund to provide affordable housing for low-income residents inEntergy’s service area. Entergy and LHCDC each provided $250,000 tocreate the fund, to be used to develop five to ten houses per year forqualified customers in our region.

Studies showed that affordable housing was a primary economicneed in many Louisiana communities. Entergy targeted geographiclocations across the state where LHCDC would develop the houses.Entergy and LHCDC received assistance from the state’s faith-basedcommunities, especially the Louisiana State Baptist Convention, to helpidentify potential low-income homebuyers. LHCDC devised an efficientdevelopment process that takes roughly five months to choose a site andconstruct a home.

By the end of August 2003, a total of 14 affordable homes will havebeen completed. With contributions from other groups and businesses inLouisiana, the initial $500,000 provided by Entergy and the LHCDC will

leverage $3.5 million in total funding bythe end of the year, allowing the programto grow well beyond our initial goals.

The affordable housing initiative alsogenerates economic activity in thecommunity, in payrolls for local workershired for framing, plumbing, electricaland other construction work on thehomes, and in sales of constructionmaterials. The new homes enhance thecommunity and add to local property taxrolls. The local community developmentcommission in Winnsboro, Macon Ridge CDC, already has plans in placeto build 30 more homes and two large apartment complexes, so theimpact will go far beyond the initial project.

The Entergy-LHCDC partnership represents a unique collaborationwith each other and with the faith-based community. All of us at Entergyare proud to make this investment in the region we serve. The realreward comes in meeting the proud new homeowners like ArieBrunshick and her family in Winnsboro. Arie says she loves her newhome and appreciates the support she received.

We at Entergy are also grateful for the support of the state and localleaders who have helped to make this a reality. We appreciate theinvestment that homebuyers like Arie are making in their owncommunity, and we’re glad to be able to help make it possible. It’s justone of many ways we’re working to build the economies of thecommunities we serve. l

Renae Conley

Affordable Housing Boosts Louisiana Communities

MetroVision’s business retention and expansion program recently won animpressive award from Business Retention and Expansion International

Inc. (BREI), a non-profit professional association thatfocuses on retention and expansion of existingbusinesses as an economic development strategyfor communities.

The 10-parish regional organization was citedin the urban programs category for its company call program,its collaboration on such community connection programs as the recentBusiness Appreciation Week, and the sophistication of the organization’sapproach using the Synchronist software package to track projects.

BREI also acknowledged MetroVision’s successes, including theretention and expansion of the region’s largest private employer, NorthropGrumman Avondale, and assistance provided to Randa Corp. that kept thecompany in the region, as key examples of effective retention.

Since winning the award, MetroVision has changed their name toGreater New Orleans, Inc.

For information about MetroVision’s award winning businessretention program, contact Steve Molnar, Staff Director of BusinessRetention and Expansion at (504) 527-6996 [email protected]. For information about BREI, visit the web site at www.brei.org. l

MetroVision’s Business RetentionProgram Wins Prestigious Award

The Louisiana Industrial Development Executives Association (LIDEA)held its annual legislative follow-up meeting recently in Baton Rouge.

The agenda was packed with presentations on the outcome of thegeneral legislative session, as well as a gubernatorial forum focused oneconomic development issues of importance to the association’smembership.

LIDEA rolled out its “Issues Paper” featuring key issues andstrategies that it believes need to be addressed in order for Louisiana’seconomy to move forward.

1) Governor to lead economic development efforts as Louisiana’schief salesperson

2) Promote change in the state’s tax and tax incentive system to attract expansion and new investment

3) Use all available resources in the state to improve the state’s business climate including increased efficiency and communication within government

4) Support Louisiana Economic Development’s (LED) role as an information clearinghouse

5) Marketing our state, inside and out, by the LED 6) Build on the basics such as education, workforce training,

transportation and quality of life

LIDEA Holds Gubernatorial Forum

BREI

CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

TEAMWORK LOUISIANA l 3


D I R E C T O R ’ S C O L U M N

Our annual Team City Conference was the most successful so far, withmore than 500 economic development professionals, volunteers, and

elected officials participating. We have received a lot of positive feedback onthis year’s conference and will continue to strive to make it better. Manypeople raved about our keynote speaker Bob Arnold. Aside from beinghumorous he really does an excellent job of proving that we can accomplishanything we set our mind to, no matter what the obstacles may be.

Our theme “Team City Louisiane: A Bicentennial Celebration”suggested by Caldwell Team Parish, was designed as a way to allow us tobuild on the positive momentum surrounding the state’s bicentennialanniversary. We have a lot of history to be proud of here and thebicentennial celebration allowed us an opportunity to not only celebrate the state’s history but also the history of all of our communities.

We also learned some important lessons from our four breakoutspeakers. State Senator Willie Mount informed us of even more great things happening around our state such as having one of the best fundedincumbent worker training programs in the country. John Doggett

provided some excellent facts on why all ofAmerica is struggling to keep manufacturing jobsat home. Bob Rapoza gave us some very goodinformation on the details of how the New Markettax credits work and Jew Don Boney did anoutstanding job of educating us on howunderstanding diversity serves as one of thebuilding blocks of teamwork.

I would also like to congratulate all of ouraward winners at this year’s conference. As I

mentioned earlier Caldwell Team Parishwon the theme award. Our Best BoothAwards went to: St. James Team Parish -3rd place; Arnaudville Team City – 2ndplace; and Iberville Team Parish – 1stplace. The attendees voted to award theExhibitor’s Choice to Zachary Team City.

In addition to wrapping up Team City we are also taking this time to continuepromoting one of our other major initiatives, the re-design of our website and database of available industrial buildings and sites. Our buildingand site database is a free marketing tool that we encourage all of ourallies to utilize. The recent upgrade has expanded it to cover all 64Louisiana parishes and allows users to search the properties by acreating a custom search, searching by parish, or searching by region.The new database also enables our allies to create a profile in order tosubmit and edit their own property listings and create custom flyers touse for marketing campaigns.

This database re-design was actually the first phase of ourinvestment to upgrading our technology. In the near future we will belaunching a new Geographic Information System (GIS) to attach to thedatabase. This will allow the users to view the property locations in anonline mapping system.

So stay tuned for more on the GIS system and in the meantimecheck our web site at http:www.entergy.com/laed and let us know whatyou think. l

Jim Hendricks

Major Initiatives

An outcome of the 2003 General Legislative Session was the revision andaddition of several economic development incentives, tools state and

local economic developers use to attract business expansion and locationto Louisiana.

Revised Quality Jobs Program Act (HB 892 and SB 1126) (R.S.51:2451-2462) The tax rebate program was revised to allowemployees of an employer moving from outside of Louisiana toa “new direct job” in this state to be eligible for the QualityJobs Program. For full-time employees whose wages areequal to or greater than $50,000 per year, the employershall pay not less than 70 percent of the total premium forhealth insurance. The Department of EconomicDevelopment may retroactively apply the benefits of the Actto qualified employers submitting advance notice to thedepartment after May 1, 2002.

Revised Film and Video Production Tax Credit (HB 892) (R.S.47-1121-1128) The tax credit program created in the 2002 LegislativeSession now allows tax credits to be transferred from one qualifiedLouisiana production company to another. The revised law states “any tax

credits with respect to a state-certified production allocated to a Louisianataxpayer and not previously claimed by such taxpayer against its incometax may be transferred or sold by such taxpayer to another Louisianataxpayer.” The legislation outlines a few stipulations to qualify for theprogram.

NEW Louisiana Major Projects Development Authority Act(SB 888) (R.S. 51:3029) New legislation was enacted to

create a statewide authority that can make quick decisionsabout major impact projects considering Louisiana as alocation. The authority, with a membership consisting ofLouisiana’s highest officials, is “empowered to take allsteps appropriate or necessary to effect the siting,

development, and operation of a project within the state,including the negotiation of a price for the site.” Where

necessary, local and legislative approval must be obtained. Projectsmust invest at least $300 million and create 1,000 or more jobs at 125percent of the most recent average annual wage to be considered. Existingcompanies that have an aggregated capital investment of $300 million inLouisiana after expansion of at least $150 million and 1,000 new jobs atthe 125 per cent level are also eligible. l

Legislative Session Brings Economic Development Benefits


Louisiana Economic Development held its Lantern Awards ceremonyon June 17 at the Governor’s Mansion. The annual awards program

honored eleven businesses and one university for the contributions eachmade to Louisiana’s economy in 2002. This year one winner was chosenfrom each of LED’s eleven clusters and the criteria were based on thethree goals of the Vision 2020 Plan for economic development.

The winners included:

Advanced Materials Category: Continental Structural Plastics, Springhill;manufactures plastics for use in automobiles and other machinery.

Agriculture/Forestry Category: Roy O. Martin Lumber Company,Alexandria; provides timberland, hunting lease, and real estatemanagement and also performs logging services.

Biotechnology/Biomedical Category: ReliaGene Technologies, Jefferson;does DNA testing for law enforcement authorities as well as paternity testing.

Durable Goods Manufacturing Category: EADS Aeroframe Services, LakeCharles; provides aircraft maintenance and repair services.

Entertainment Industry Category: Offbeat Publications, New Orleans;promotes Louisiana music and musicians to showcase the riches ofLouisiana’s musical heritage.

Environmental Technology Category: Innovative Emergency Management,Baton Rouge; helps institutions prepare for emergencies by providingvulnerability assessments, emergency simulation and response exercises,

and information technology development.

Food Technology Category: Associated Grocers, Baton Rouge; a group ofindependent retail grocers that have worked together for more than 50years in order to compete and succeed in business.

Information Technology Category: EATEL, Gonzales; provides itscustomers with communication services such as long distance, Internet,DSL, web development, phone systems and directories.

Logistics/Transportation Category: Dupré Transport, Lafayette; providestransportation of products such as gasoline, diesel and aviation fuels.

Oil & Gas/Energy Category: SEMPCheck Services, Lafayette; providesservices that ensure that oil and gas producing operations stay inregulatory compliance

Petrochemical Category: Dow Chemical Company, Plaquemine;manufactures plastics and more than 100 basic and specialty chemicalsthat are used in creating hundreds of everyday products.

Organization Award (non-profit/institutional): The Center for Business &Information Technologies, ULL, Lafayette; an organization that performstraining, research and development in the area of informationtechnology.

For more information, contact Arthur Cooper, LED Director ofBusiness Retention, at 225-342-4321 or log on to www.led.state.la.us. l

LED Presents Lantern Awards

The Ports Association of Louisiana (PAL) heldits annual conference April 9-11, 2003 in New

Orleans aboard the Cajun Queen riverboat withthe theme “Rolling on the River.” Representativesfrom all 34 of Louisiana’s ports were present tohear about local and federal initiatives affecting their ports. The uniquesetting provided attendees an opportunity to see the vast infrastructure andindustry located at the three ports in the New Orleans Region as the boatrolled down the Mississippi River.

Speakers included representatives from the American Association ofPort Authorities reporting on federal security legislation and funding; theU.S. Coast Guard presenting its security plan for the Sector New OrleansRegion; the National Oceanographic and Aeronautic Administration’s portnavigational mapping and satellite imagery programs; and the MississippiRiver Corridor Initiative’s plan to grow the port business on the LowerMississippi River. The latter initiative is working to identify potential newcustomers to utilize Louisiana’s six deepwater ports.

Incoming PAL president, Wyly Gilfoil of the Lake Providence PortCommission, has been aggressively promoting Louisiana’s ports. As part ofthe PAL’s “Louisiana Ports Deliver” initiative introduced last year, theassociation held a “Ports Day at the Legislature” and Governor Foster

declared April 2nd as Ports Day in Louisianawhere PAL members discussed the impact thatports have on Louisiana’s economy.

PAL was also heavily involved in lobbying forseveral bills during the legislative session that

would affect its member ports. H.B. 1496 that allows ports to developsecurity plans that are not subject to “Open Meeting Laws”; and H.B. 2, theCapitol Outlay Bill that contains a line item appropriation of $24.5 millionfor the Port Construction and Development Priority Program.

Gilfoil says the most important thing he can do as president of PAL iskeep telling the Louisiana ports story, promoting the fact that the state’sports have a total economic impact of $32.9 billion on the economy,including $5.66 billion in jobs and generation of 270,000 permanent jobs.In addition, Louisiana ports generate $467 million in recurring tax revenue.It is critical for Louisiana’s elected officials and citizens to understand theimportance of the industry to the state’s economy.

Founded in 1992,the Ports Association of Louisiana was formed as anon-profit trade association to aid in the advancement of Louisiana ports.PAL has developed and fostered good relations among all the ports over thelast decade and will continue to work on joint projects. Visit PAL’s web siteat www.portsoflouisiana.org. l

Ports Association of Louisiana Holds 2003 Conference on the River


The Entergy-Louisiana Housing andCommunity Development Corporation

(LHCDC) partnership formed a year agohas produced some happy homeownersin northeast Louisiana.

As another way of helping its low-income customers, Entergy provided$250,000 towards the LHCDC affordablehousing program, a program that buildssingle-family homes for qualifiedapplicants.

Fourteen homes were built innortheast Louisiana in the last year to assist families that could not haveotherwise owned a home. Studies showed that northeast Louisiana lackedin housing for low- income families, specifically Monroe and Ferriday,which were chosen because of the large number of applicants in thecommunities. “We found housing was a primary need in thesecommunities,” Entergy’s Clifton Avant said.

The LHCDC has an organized, yet fast development process thattakes roughly five months to chose a site and construct a home. Thisparticular project started with a partnership between the LHCDC and twolocal non-profits, the Macon Ridge CDC and Booker T WashingtonProject CDC that oversaw every aspect of development from screeningapplicants to choosing developers to building the homes. As an investor,Entergy’s Clifton Avant also played a large role in the developmentprocess.

The first step was for the local chapters to identify sites based onavailability and cost of the land. Entergy and LHCDC reviewed each site toinsure they fell within cost and location parameters, and then approvedfor purchase. The next step was to evaluate project partners includingengineers, contractors, homebuilders and various sub-contractors.Once all the site and building costs were evaluated construction beganon the homes, all in varying time periods.

“This work is very rewarding,” said Avant, “because we areproviding one of the basic living needs for these families at a price theycan afford based on their income levels.” Originally Entergy committed tobuilding five homes per year, yet the numbers increased with thepromotion of the program by Avant to additional investors. Entergy’s$250,000 commitment turned into $3.5 million.

The project also had a considerable economic impact on thecommunity in the form of 33 permanent contracting jobs with the MaconRidge CDC, as well as payroll and sales taxes, and spending onconstruction materials. Macon Ridge CDC already has plans in place tobuild 30 more homes and two large apartment complexes, so the impactwill go far beyond the initial project.

“Our goal on thisproject was to create someeconomic activity and providehomes,” said Tim Smith,President and CEO of theLHCDC, “and we did just thatby hiring locals for framing,plumbing, electrical and otherwork that helped to build thesehomes.” The LHCDC facilitatedthe overall program, butplayed less of a role than with

other such projects because of the strong support they received locallyfrom the Macon Ridge CDC and Booker T Washington Project CDC.

The real reward comes when you see the smile of proud newhomeowners such as Michael Bailey and Arie Brunshick and her family.Mr. Bailey learned about the housing program from a friend on thechamber of commerce board. He found he liked the site chosen for thehome, and also the assistance he received from the Macon Ridge CDC onfinancing the home. Arie says she loves her new home and appreciatesthe support she received.

Entergy plans on continuing its role in the LHCDC housing program,and hopes that others will come forward to be a part of it. “We’re excitedabout future partners coming to the table with us,” Avant said.

For more information about the Entergy-LHCDC Partnership, contactClifton Avant, (800) 542-2688. l

Entergy’s Commitment Produces Housing



The real reward comes when you see

the smile of proud new homeowners

such as Michael Bailey and Arie

Brunshick and her family.

The Macon Ridge Economic DevelopmentRegion, Inc., the regional economic

development entity for northeast Louisiana, isspearheading some creative projects toenhance the economy of the 13-parish area itrepresents. President and CEO, Tana Trichel,believes the most effective way the organizationcan help grow the economy is to build uponthe strengths of the region to create the bestatmosphere for success.

The Macon Ridge Region is largely rural with some of the highestunemployment and lowest per capita income rates in Louisiana. Theeconomic base consists mainly of small to medium sized homegrownbusinesses that have been somewhat successful despite the lack ofresources normally available to similar businesses in non-rural areas.The organization’s main goal is to help these businesses become strongereconomic engines for the region.

One of the organization’s longstanding programs is the micro loanprogram that provides low-interest loans to small and start-upbusinesses. However, the program funds from USDA Rural Developmentare limited to serving the five-parish Enterprise Community, so Trichel ispursuing a grant from the U.S. Treasury Department that would certifyMacon Ridge as a development financial institution. The micro loan fundwould be increased and also allow the organization to lend throughoutits 13-parish region.

Another project Macon Ridge has undertaken is managing theCentral and North Louisiana Rural Renewal Communities (RC), thefederal program implemented last year by the U.S. Housing and UrbanDevelopment that provides tax credits and other incentives to businesses

and entities that invest in defined areas. Macon Ridge has been busypromoting the benefits of the program at workshops and eventsthroughout the region, and assisting with applications.

Macon Ridge has also created a strong partnership with the threeuniversities in the region to bring technology into this mostly rural area.The University of Louisiana, Monroe and Louisiana Tech University areconducting e-commerce seminars to educate businesses on the use ofthe Internet and e-mail as business tools to increase communication andoperating efficiencies in their work environment. In addition, theorganization received a matching grant for distance learning through theUSDA Rural Development Rural Utilities Program and LouisianaEconomic Development. A partnership with Grambling State Universityhas been formed to assist in building the infrastructure and coursesneeded to reach individuals in outlying rural areas that want to learn viathe Internet.

These are some of the ways the Macon Ridge EconomicDevelopment Region Inc. is working to overcome the weaknessesexisting in the region. The organization is also working onstrengthening its relationship with municipal and parish governments,and economic development professionals to establish a more focusedapproach to economic development. “We want to work together with thelocals to build a consensus about where the region is headed,” saidTrichel.

Macon Ridge Economic Development Region, Inc. was formed in1994 by a group of people interested in developing a cohesive effort tobuilding the economy in the region.

For further information, contact Tana Trichel at (318) 757-3033 orvisit the web site at www.maconridge.org. l

Macon Ridge Helps to Build Rural Northeast Louisiana


J& M Industries, a manufacturer of customized industrial tarps and cloths, reduced its production time and costs after consulting with the

Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Louisiana (MEPoL). ThePonchatoula-based company went through MEPoL’s lean manufacturingassessment that analyzed the production flow and thenmodified it based on recommendations made.

Al Bourgeois, plant manager of J & M Industries hadan inkling that the company’s work order process had afew kinks in it and wanted to make improvements neededto reduce wasted time and costs. He received a flyer in themail about MEPoL’s “Lean 101” course, one of several thenot-for-profit organization conducts each year to assistLouisiana manufacturers. The course offered both lectureand hands-on work through a manufacturing simulation.

“I decided to take the course because I thought I might learn somethingabout our production process,” said Bourgeois. Bourgeois learned that hisfacility had some problems with work-in-process building up on the

manufacturing floor and keeping orders flowing. He contacted Mike Scott,MEPoL’s project manager for Tangipahoa Parish who brought in theorganization’s lean manufacturing expert, Brad Stump, to assess the situationat J & M Industries.

The goal of lean manufacturing is to eliminate wastedactivity in the manufacturing process. In every manufacturingoperation there are value-added processes, which increasethe value of the product being manufactured. In leanproduction implementation, major cost reductions comethrough the elimination of process steps that do not addvalue from the customer perspective.

Stump analyzed the flow of materials and informationthrough J & M’s plant, as well as the layout and how theproduct flowed from station to station. Because most of the

company’s orders for industrial tarps are customized and frequently subjectto change, Stump found that orders were being interrupted to begin anotherand placed on the manufacturing floor. This process added unnecessary time

Manufacturer Benefits from MEPoL’s Assistance


CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

F I R S T P L A C E

S E C O N D P L A C E

T H I R D P L A C E

E X H I B I T O R ’ S C H O I C E

T H E M E W I N N E R

Zachary

Town of Columbia

St. James Parish

Arnaudville Parish

Iberville Parish

Team City Golf TournamentFIRST PLACE

Calvin DeshotelJeff ArnoldMcClure SampsonAndy Deher (not shown)

Presented by Renae Conley

SECOND PLACE

Jerry BaileyLarry Miller

Craig Schimpf


LONGEST DRIVECleve Weisgerber


CLOSEST TO THE HOLEMax Jones



AmiteArcadia

ArnaudvilleBaker

BastropBaton Rouge

BerniceBogalusaBroussard

Caldwell ParishCarencro

Church PointClintonCullen

Denham SpringsDonaldsonville

DubachDuson

East Feliciana ParishFerridayGibsland

GramblingGrand Coteau

Grand IsleGretna

GonzalesGrosse Tete

GueydanHackberryHammondHaynesville

HomerIberville Parish

IowaJacksonJennings

JonesboroKaplan

KentwoodLafourche Parish

Lake ArthurLake Charles

Lake ProvidenceLaSalle Parish

Livingston ParishLivonia

MarksvilleMonroe

MorganzaNew OrleansNew Roads

Ouachita ParishPonchatoula

Port AllenPort BarreRayville

ScottSpringfieldSpringhill

St. Bernard ParishSt. Charles Parish

St. FrancisvilleSt. Gabriel

St. James ParishSt. John the Baptist

ParishSulphurSunsetTallulah

Tensas ParishTerrebonne ParishVermilion Parish

WalkerWest Carroll Parish

West MonroeWest Baton Rouge

ParishWestlake

WestwegoWhite CastleWinnsboroYoungsville

Zachary

Roll Call!

F I R S T P L A C E

S E C O N D P L A C E

T H I R D P L A C E

E X H I B I T O R ’ S C H O I C E

T H E M E W I N N E R

Zachary

Town of Columbia

St. James Parish

Arnaudville Parish

Iberville Parish

Team City Golf TournamentFIRST PLACE

Calvin DeshotelJeff ArnoldMcClure SampsonAndy Deher (not shown)


SECOND PLACE

Jerry BaileyLarry Miller

Craig Schimpf


LONGEST DRIVECleve Weisgerber


CLOSEST TO THE HOLEMax Jones



A N N U A L T E A M C I T Y C O N F E R E N C E


Bob ArnoldBob Arnold, executive director

and CEO of the Kentucky Associationof Counties, was the keynote speakerin the morning. Bob gave aninspirational and motivationalspeech, recalling his challenges andtriumphs as a blind person.

Bob began to lose his ability tosee as a child, completely losing hissight at the age of 19. He told theaudience that even without his sight,he has been blessed with vision, thevision to lead. He has done this through his work and personal life, andthe many speeches that he has given along the way.

Throughout his speech about his experiences, Bob used humor as ameans of conveying his message. He told attendees how he foughtdiscrimination in his life because others didn’t quite know how to treat ablind person. He always looked at people as people and thecharacteristics that make them what they are. From a young age Bobtaught his teachers how to teach him and school kids how to treat him.

Bob talked about playing baseball in school, and his ability to do sobecause they played as a team, but not before he taught them how to playwith him. His teammates became his advocates, but not before he firstbelieved he could play.

Later in life, after completing two degrees at the University ofKentucky, Bob ran for a county seat in his hometown so that he could givesomething back and contribute to his community. He used his blindnessto get involved and make statements about people with disabilities. Bobtold the audience that as individuals we have to learn from other’smistakes, and sometimes we don’t get a second chance.

Bob left the audience with some inspirational words -- “Today is adream, tomorrow is a vision, yesterday is history.” Starting today we canchange tomorrow.

One reaction from the audience was Mayor Fred Ashby of Kinder,who said Bob’s speech brought tears to his eyes. He thought it was an eyeopener for people -- if they listened good they would change their way ofliving. He believed the overall message was: If you don’t try and give up,you’ll never get anywhere.

President’s Award

Conley then made the annual presentation of the President’s Awardto Joe and Lucille Foreman from Iowa, a small community betweenLafayette and Lake Charles on Interstate-10.

Joe was a coach, schoolteacher and principal in Iowa for hiscareer. Since retiring from the school board, he has filled his time withactivities related to the economic development of the community. He hasbeen heavily involved in marketing the Vanity Fair Outlet Mall includingthe placement of the billboard on Interstate 10.

Lucille is a former schoolteacher and social worker in CalcasieuParish. She was a “committee of one” who took it upon herself to plantdaylilies and crepe myrtle trees on Thomson Street and Miller Avenue.

The Foreman’s were nearly speechless, but sincerely expressed thatthey do for their community in order to repay it for the wonderful thingsthat have happened to them and their children. They reiterated what awonderful place Iowa is to live.

They worked unselfishly and untiringly to help the town achieve itsgoal of making “Iowa a nice place to visit and a great place to live.”

Bob Arnold


A N N U A L T E A M C I T Y C O N F E R E N C E

Breakout SessionsThere were four breakout sessions held in the morning providing a

wealth of information that the attendees could bring back with them touse in their communities: (1) New Markets Initiative Tax Credits; (2) Global Economy; (3) Louisiana Positives; and (4) Teamwork and Diversity.

Louisiana Positives

Louisiana Senator Willie Mountspoke about all the positive thingshappening in Louisiana of whichmany of us are unaware, thoughacknowledging that we have manychallenges as well.

• Louisiana’s bond rating was recently raised to A+ by 2 of 3 bond ratings.

• Tobacco Settlement Fund in Louisiana is a restricted fund, only to be used for specific projects that are approved; however, in many states it is being used as a general fund for every day services.

• School Accountability Program in the state is #5 in the country for standards of accountability.

For more Louisiana positives, visit the LED web site at www.led.state.la.us.

New Markets InitiativeA presentation was made on how communities can spur economic

growth from the tax creditsoffered by the federal NewMarkets Tax Initiative. Theprogram provides a 5 to 6percent credit to equity investorsin Community DevelopmentEntities (CDEs) for each of theyears the investment is heldthrough 2007. Rapoza Associatesworks with the federalgovernment’s New Markets TaxCoalition (NMTC) to insure that itassists in creating investment inthe intended rural and urban low-income communities across the country.

For more information, visit the NMTC web site atwww.newmarketstaxcreditcoalition.org.

Global EconomyJohn Doggett of the

University of Texas at Austinprovided insight into the globaleconomy affecting U.S.businesses and communities.It’s no longer just the U.S., butthe world in which communitiesare competing.

Several points he madeincluded:

• Promote Vision 2020 and differentiate Louisiana based on its strengths (natural resources; land, water and ports)

• Learn from the best including Austin, Silicon Valley and Singapore. The heart of their success was in networking between citizens, government and business, and universities to work together on vision and goals.

• Universities need to focus on technology commercialization, not just research, and partner with business on new technologies. Louisiana’s universities need to have the attitude they are the best university in the world, not just the South.

• Invest in your future workforce at a young age, which is the greatest investment Louisiana can make for the development of the future economy.

Teamwork/DiversityThe key to teamwork is to

train and develop leadership skills.Effective leaders are clear abouttheir:

• Self interests• Central core values• Accountability• Mutually beneficial projects

ConclusionThe conference concluded with a closing video of all the eventsintertwined with old film clips of life in Louisiana, as a tribute to thebicentennial celebration of the purchase of Louisiana in 1803. l

Willie Mount

John Doggett

Jewdon Boney

Bob Rapoza

Though Jefferson Davis Parish has seen some growth and had its success stories overthe years, the parish did not have a plan outlined specifically for economic

development. When Ernie Broussard, CEcD, CCD, AICP, long time economic developerand city planner, was hired last July, the first thing he did was assemble the leadershipin the parish to develop a strategic planning element so he would know what he wasworking towards.

“The economic development strategy for Jeff Davis Parish is based on a veryacademic principle of designing its initiatives around its strengths,” said Broussard.“Our Phase I efforts are to pursue primary and secondary business opportunities withour agriculture and ship building clusters. We also intend to promote retailing and theservice industry due to our history of hunting, fishing and outdoor activities.”

One such project, Louisiana Green Fuels, is an ethanol manufacturing plant thatwill utilize local agricultural products including rice and other grains to produce theclean burning, renewable fuel that can be used as a fuel oxygenater. The project will belocated on 20 acres in the anticipated industrial development park in Lacassine.

The Lacassine Industrial Park, a 200-acre tract of land on Interstate-10, will be animportant asset to the parish after all infrastructure, roads and rail spur are in place.The park will offer access to all modes of transportation including on-site rail, arterialsurface transportation, water access from the Ports of Lake Charles and Mermentau, aswell as air carrier service from the Lake Charles Regional Airport and heavy cargoopportunities from the Chennault International Airpark.

In addition to Louisiana Green Fuels, there are several other companies looking tolocate in the industrial park. One such company would handle CO2 (carbon), which isa derivative of the ethanol manufacturing process. The parish is also working with atrucking and warehousing company, in addition to a re-furbisher of train cars. The LakeCharles Cane Cooperative is interested in moving to the park.

The location on Interstate-10 between Lafayette and Lake Charles, a high trafficcorridor for business and personal travel, makes the area attractive for retailers wantingto capture a considerable market. Broussard is working with several real estatedevelopers on retail projects that could bring significant sales tax revenue to the parish.

Broussard is also a big believer in some of the traditional economic developmentpractices. The parish has plans to market to real estate developers and site consultantsto tell them about how they can operate profitably in Jeff Davis Parish and SouthwestLouisiana. He’ll also work closely with allies in the region and state, conducting tours ofthe parish and communicating with them regularly to insure they know about Jeff DavisParish.

Regionalism is a part of the plan as well. Instead of competing with neighboringcommunities for the large projects, the parish will draw from the resources in thesurrounding 5-parish region, such as the large labor market. “Each community cancontribute to a major project,” said Broussard, “and we plan on continuing to workwith our regional partners.” Jeff Davis is a participant in SouthBest and the SouthwestLouisiana Partnership for Economic Development, two initiatives written about in theSpring 2003 Issue of this newsletter.

The parish is also focusing on tourism, which it believes can make a significantcontribution to the local economy. It is competing for the Louisiana Veterans Cemetery,a $8-$9 million construction project creating 35 permanent jobs, that would becomplementary to the existing veterans home. Other plans include expanding a pier onLake Arthur to accommodate larger pleasure boats, and constructing a multi-purposecivic center in Welsh. “We have also formulated a major approach with nationaloutfitters along the I-10 corridor,” said Broussard

For more information about what is occurring in Jeff Davis Parish, contact ErnieBroussard, Jeff Davis Parish Office of Economic Development, P.O. Box 1207,Jennings, LA 70546 Phone: (337) 821-5534 Fax: (337) 821-5536 e-mail:[email protected] web site: www.jeffdavis.org/econdev.htm l


Jefferson Davis Parish EconomicStrategy: Building Upon Its Strengths

The Louisiana Department of Economic Developmenthonored seven Louisiana Small Business Award winners

and two Small Business Advocates from across the state onMay 29 at a reception at the Governor’s Mansion for theiraccomplishments in the state.

The winners included:

· Deidria B. Joseph, president and CEO of Topp KnotchPersonnel, Inc.; New Orleans, overall Louisiana SmallBusiness Person of the Year Award winner

· John Deveney, Deveney Communication; New Orleans,Planning District One Small Business Award Winner(nominated by the New Orleans Small Business Council)

· There was no nominee from Planning District Two

· Dr. A. J. de la Houssaye, M.D., Medical Director of Seeca;Houma, Planning District Three Small Business AwardWinner (nominated by the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber ofCommerce)

· Michael L. Spears and William E. Dalton, Firefly Digital,Inc.; Lafayette, Planning District Four Small Business AwardWinner (nominated by Lafayette Economic DevelopmentAuthority) also, runner up for Louisiana Small BusinessPerson Award

· There was no nominee from Planning District Five

· Patrick C. Moore, ASLA Landscape, Architects, Site Planners;Alexandria, Planning District Six Small Business Award Winner(nominated by Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce)

· Matthew J. Brown, Sportspectrum, Inc.; Shreveport,Planning District Seven Small Business Award Winner(nominated by the Greater Shreveport Chamber ofCommerce)

· Grady W. Brown, Panola Pepper Corporation; LakeProvidence, Planning District Eight Small Business AwardWinner (nominated by Macon Ridge EconomicDevelopment Region)

The eight district recipients were evaluated on thebasis of growth in sales and staff, creative products orservices, business stability, response to adversity andcontributions to the surrounding community.

In addition to the district winners, two BusinessAdvocacy Awards were presented to members whochampion members of the small business community.The winners included:

· Jack M. Sands, former owner of Tavern on the Park; NewOrleans, Louisiana Veteran Small Business Advocate Awardwinner

· Eugenie A. Goodwin, Enterprise Corporation of the Delta;Monroe, Louisiana Financial Services Advocate Awardwinner l

LED Honors LouisianaSBA Award Winners



Jefferson Parish is bucking the current national climate byexperiencing growth in high-tech activity over the last four years.

This was just one of the findings recently released as part of acomprehensive, independent, eight-month technology auditcommissioned by the Jefferson Parish Economic DevelopmentCommission (JEDCO).

During the years 1999 – 2002, Jefferson Parish experienced ahigh-tech growth spurt of 15.3 percent in technology employment and149 new technology firms were established, according to a studyconducted by the consulting firm of Hammer, Siler, George Associates.

The study also determined that Jefferson Parish is home to overone-third of all high-tech employment in the New Orleans area.Furthermore, the parish realized an increase from 26 percent to 32percent in its overall share of technology employment in the NewOrleans metro area during the four-year period.

Jefferson Parish currently is home to 826 high-tech businessesemploying 9,987 workers.

Dottie Stephenson, JEDCO deputy director – business outreach,explained that technology development was a critical issue when morethan 100 community leaders came together in 1999 to aid JEDCO indeveloping a comprehensive economic development strategy for theparish called The Jefferson EDGE.

“When strategically planning The Jefferson EDGE in 1999, concernwas expressed that there was a lack of community awareness of thetechnical expertise and entrepreneurial talent among our localtechnology firms,” Stephenson noted. Conducting the audit and creatingawareness of its findings is the first step to correcting this situation,Stephenson emphasized.

Attesting to the success of Jefferson Parish’s technology base arethree local, award-winning companies: ReilaGene Technologies, Inc.;

DANA Diabecare USA and General Hearing Instruments.Nominated by JEDCO, ReliaGene Technologies, Inc. received the

state of Louisiana’s 2003 Lantern Award for their pioneering work inbiotechnology.

Founded just over 13 years ago by Dr. Sudhir K. Sinha, ReliaGenewas one of the first private laboratories exclusively devoted to DNAtesting. To date, ReliaGene has tested over 300,000 biological samples,extracting DNA information for victim identification, paternitydetermination, and for criminal cases involving homicide, sexualassault, burglary and more.

Also nominated by JEDCO and taking home a 2003 “Rising Star ofthe Year” State award for technological achievements was DANADiabecare USA, founded by Susanne Jernigan. This Louisiana biotechcompany designs, distributes and markets insulin infusion pumps fordiabetics. The firm is only one of four in the lucrative North Americanmarket. It is also the first Louisiana company to enter this potentialbillion-dollar market.

Receiving an “Innovator of the Year” award from the publishers ofNew Orleans’ CityBusiness was Jefferson Parish-based General HearingInstruments.

Sufferers of chronic tinnitus, a condition that causes constantannoying internal ringing in the ears, now can experience relief thanksto the efforts of this Jefferson Parish firm. General Hearing Instrumentsdeveloped, patented and is manufacturing a device that assists a patient’sbrain with “filtering out” the tinnitus signal before it reaches theconscious level of the brain.

For more information about these technology companies, contactDottie Stephenson at (504) 833-1881 or visit the web site atwww.jedco.org. l

Jefferson Parish Bucks National Climate, Experiences High-Tech Business & Job Growth


Secretary Don Hutchinson, LED, provided an overview of the economicdevelopment successes in the legislative session. There were severalrevisions to the Quality Jobs and Film and Video Production Tax Creditprograms that open the incentive programs to more companies, but mostnotable was the creation of the Major Projects Development Authority, anauthority that has the power to take quick action on projects that create1,000 new jobs and make a $300 million or greater investment inLouisiana. More can be read about it in this issue in an article entitled“Legislative Session Brings Economic Development Benefits.”

The Governor’s Office presented its media campaign for “ChooseLouisiana,” its campaign to promote the positive things going on inLouisiana to existing and prospective residents. Since the state does nothave an advertising budget for this initiative, it is relying on partnershipswith corporate sponsors to spread the good news about Louisiana.Sponsors “bring” the message in the advertising and receive the namerecognition for their participation in the project.

Harris, Deville & Associates shared the results of a recent voter surveyon the priority issues in Louisiana. Respondents said the top three problemsin the state were jobs/economy, education and politics, which were issues

that were addressed later in the day by each of the gubernatorialcandidates. However, 72 percent of respondents believed the quality of lifein Louisiana to be excellent or good. A large percentage think the stateshould provide tax exemptions to companies to retain and create new jobs.

In the afternoon, four gubernatorial candidates including Lt. Gov.Kathleen Blanco, Bobby Jindal, Legislative Auditor Dan Kyle, and MikeStagg, responded to the questions that LIDEA outlined for the forum. Thequestions addressed issues that are of high priority to the membership, andwould also assist them in understanding the candidates’ views on economicdevelopment. Questions ranged from defining economic development towhat would be their day-to-day role in economic development. It was a fast1-hour session that revealed a great deal about the candidates’ platforms,mostly focused on improving the way Louisiana does economicdevelopment, though each stated Vision 2020 was a good plan forLouisiana.

For more information about the presentations, contact LIDEA at (225) 247-4849 or visit the web site at www.lidea.org. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

Gubernatorial Forum (cont.)


Economic developers from Louisiana’s two largest regions partnered toget the attention of site consultants recently. Representatives from the

New Orleans and Baton Rouge metropolitan areas made a recent trip toNew York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut to promote what southeastLouisiana has to offer businesses.

Eleven representatives from the 19-parish area spent a week in the twocities, a major hub for site consultants such as IBM Consulting, LocationAdvisory Services, and Cushman & Wakefield, firms responsible for locatingprojects throughout the world. This type of trip is a common strategy usedto market to consultants because a wider audience is reached than whenmeeting with individual companies. Site consultants locate approximately 70percent of the new projects each year.

Representatives included Sam Richardson and Philip Seghers, EntergyLouisiana; Frank Sames, Entergy New Orleans; Tommy Kurtz and SteveMolnar, MetroVision; Linda Prudhomme and Joe Accardo, Jr., Port of SouthLouisiana; Dave Bowman, The Chamber of Greater Baton Rouge; MarthaCollins, Ascension Parish Government; and Don Hutchinson and Skip Smart,Louisiana Economic Development.

The goal of the trip was to educate the consultants on some of the newand existing initiatives occurring in the 19-parish southeast region andLouisiana. Teams of two to three persons presented information about theregion’s labor force, industrial base, ports and transportation arteries, newstate incentives such as Quality Jobs, Biotechnology and Film & VideoProduction Tax Credits, and other assets.

In addition to the personal calls, Entergy sponsored a breakfast for theconsultants where Tommy Kurtz, MetroVision, and Dave Bowman, BatonRouge Chamber, made multi-media presentations on their respectiveregions’ assets and recent investment made. Don Hutchinson, secretary ofthe Louisiana Department of Economic Development, presented the state’sVision 2020 Plan for economic development including its strategy fordeveloping the eleven clusters in the state.

Contacts made were all decision makers on locating projects, so the

trip was effective in that Louisiana is now fresh on their minds. “Theresponse was very positive,” said Frank Sames, “and in fact, one of thefirms we visited negotiated incentives for film and video productioncompanies and they were excited about the new tax credit program passedlast year.” “Placing the region’s name in front of decision makers isimportant.”

In past years, Louisiana has not spent a lot of energy courtingconsultants, said Linda Prudhomme, director of business development forthe Port of South Louisiana. That lack of effort shows most, she said, whenlucrative auto plant deals and high tech labs move to South Carolina,Mississippi and Alabama rather than Louisiana.

Being from different metro areas didn’t pose a problem. Bringing coreindustries to a region benefits everyone within a 100-mile radius,” Samessaid. “When the region fights itself over slices from the same pie, wecontradict each other’s efforts. But if we compete for companies outsideour region, the pie grows and that is the way you want to do economicdevelopment. That is how you grow a regional economy.”

This is what can be accomplished when you think ‘outside the box.’Dave Bowman, executive director of economic development for thechamber in Baton Rouge, thought the marketing mission worked becauseof the teamwork involved. He acknowledged Entergy for ”being the glue thatheld it all together.”

The team did much advanced planning and promotion to obtain the20 or so calls to new and existing contacts. They initially sent out lettersrequesting an appointment, but then followed up with two promotionalitems, a Tabasco tie and a CD, and phone calls to secure a time and date.

There are three other such trips planned for 2003. Another was justaccomplished in Chicago, which, like the New York trip, is also a major siteconsultant, financial and manufacturing hub. The National Plastics Expo washeld in Chicago that same week and was visited. In September the team willvisit Atlanta and Dallas is scheduled for October. l

Joint Venture to Capture Site Consultants’ AttentionW A T C H I N G L O U I S I A N A G R O W

and created clutter that had to be worked around. He found that he could create a better flow for the process with a new

layout called a visual pull system. In a pull system workers produce onlywhat the operation ahead of them is ready for. This new system helped toreduce the cloth on the floor, and what remained used color-coding toidentify orders so Bourgeois had a visual of what was going on, thuslimiting the amount of work-in-process on the floor and producing whatthe customer needed, when they needed it. Orders were moving throughfaster resulting in an increase in orders completed.

Bourgeois said the new system decreased work-in-process by 25percent over a 2 to 3 month time period, and also saved the companymoney from the elimination of overtime. An added bonus was the creationof a new team-based incentive plan for employees re-aligned to fit the new

production system.MEPoL is a not-for-profit organization, providing Louisiana’s small

and medium-sized manufacturers with business and technical solutionsthat help them become more productive and more competitive. It is part ofthe nationwide Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) networkestablished by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).For more information on MEPoL’s programs for Louisiana manufacturers,please contact it at (800) 433-6965 or visit the web site at www.mepol.org.

J&M Industries, founded in 1973, manufactures industrial tarps, shade cloths and freeze protection products. The privately owned companyemploys 100 people at their single facility in Ponchatoula, Louisiana. They sell their products internationally. Contact: Al Bourgeois, Plant Manager,(800) 989-1002 or visit their web site at www.jm-ind.com. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

MEPoL’s Assistance (cont.)

Bill Peperone will be adding trade shows throughout the year, so give him a call at (504) 840-2562or e-mail at [email protected] if you would like to participate or have any suggestions for shows.

EAST BATON ROUGE

ST. MARTIN

ST. MARY

ASSUMPTION

WEST FELICIANA

EAST FELICIANA

ST. HELENA

TANGI- PAHOA

WASHINGTON

LIVINGSTONST. TAMMANY

ASCENSION

ST. JAMES

ST. CHARLES

ST. JOHN BAPTIST ORLEANS

ST. BERNARD

LAFOURCHETERREBONNE

JEFFE

RS

ON

PLAQUEMINES

WEST BATON ROUGE

VERNONRAPIDES

AVOYELLES

BEAUREGARD ALLENEVANGELINE

CALCASIEUJEFFERSON DAVIS

CAMERON VERMILION

ACADIA

ST LANDRY

LAFAYETTE

ST MARTIN

POINTE COUPEE

IBERIA

IBERRVILLE

CADDO WEBSTER

RED RIVER

DE SOTO

BIENVILLE

LINCOLN

SABINENATCHITOCHES

JACKSON

OUACHITARICHLAND MADISON

WINN

CALDWELL FRANKLIN

TENSAS

GRANT

LA SALLE CATAHOULA

CONCORDIA

BOSSIER CLAIBORNE UNION MOREHOUSE

WEST CARROLL

EAST CARROLL7

9912 128

1 6

5 214

2 20

4 157

1 0

2 46

1 26

2 125

2 35

10 265

2 114

1 2

9 134

1 0

2 0

4 83

9 418

1 2

1 5

11 170

21 868

1 34

3 191

13 1 0

1 7

9 144

1 6

6 18

1 2

2 9

2 10

E C O N O M I C D E V E L O P M E N T C A L E N D A R

EVENT DATE LOCATION CONTACT INFORMATION

IEDC Annual September 14-17, 2003 Cincinnati, OH www.iedconline.org

Worldwide Food EXPO October 29 - November 1, 2003 Chicago, IL Bill Peperone (504) 840-2562

www.worldwidefood.com

SEDC Annual Conference November 8-11, 2003 Hilton Head, SC www.sedc.org

The Chemical Show November 18-20, 2003 New York, NY Bill Peperone (504) 840-2562www.chemshow.com

LIDEA Membership Meeting Dec. 3-4 New Orleans www.lidea.org (225) 612-1020


First Quarter, 2003Total Projects Announced

3,179 Total Permanent Jobs Created

Source: Louisiana Economic Development, Office of Policy and Research

139

EAST BATON ROUGE

ST. MARTIN

ST. MARY

ASSUMPTION

WEST FELICIANA

EAST FELICIANA

ST. HELENA

TANGI- PAHOA

WASHINGTON

LIVINGSTONST. TAMMANY

ASCENSION

ST. JAMES

ST. CHARLES

ST. JOHN BAPTIST ORLEANS

ST. BERNARD

LAFOURCHETERREBONNE

JEFFE

RS

ON

PLAQUEMINES

WEST BATON ROUGE

VERNONRAPIDES

AVOYELLES

BEAUREGARD ALLENEVANGELINE

CALCASIEUJEFFERSON DAVIS

CAMERON VERMILION

ACADIA

ST LANDRY

LAFAYETTE

ST MARTIN

POINTE COUPEE

IBERIA

IBERRVILLE

CADDO WEBSTER

RED RIVER

DE SOTO

BIENVILLE

LINCOLN

SABINENATCHITOCHES

JACKSON

OUACHITARICHLAND MADISON

WINN

CALDWELL FRANKLIN

TENSAS

GRANT

LA SALLE CATAHOULA

CONCORDIA

BOSSIER CLAIBORNE UNION MOREHOUSE

WEST CARROLL

EAST CARROLL

1 8

11 250

13 176

1 2

2 130

1 4

4 124

1 7

7 0

3 52

1 450

1 125

1 3

5 88

3 61

11 937

3 5

6 96

2 19

7 308

3 29

1 0

12 184

26 389

17 515

9 1291

20

2 15

1 0

2 80

2 35

1 5

1 12

2 30

1 1

Second Quarter, 2003Total Projects Announced

4,289 Total Permanent Jobs Created

Source: Louisiana Economic Development, Office of Policy and Research

165

Louisiana Project Announcements

T E A M W O R K

Teamwork Louisiana5353 Essen Lane, Suite 120Baton Rouge, LA 70809

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDBATON ROUGE, LA

PERMIT #2162


O N T H E S C E N E

Participants in the five day National Plastics Exposition in Chicago, June 23-27, 2003, are,left to right, Bill Peperone, Entergy; Jim Landry, Louisiana Economic Development; ScottO’Neal, North Webster Industrial Park; Don Hays, Hammond Industrial DevelopmentBoard; Tana Trichel, Macon Ridge Economic Development Region; Sam Richardson,Entergy; Frank Sames, Entergy; Willie Crain, Macon Ridge Economic Development Region;John Ware, Livingston Economic Development Council; and Jerry Bologna, Jefferson ParishEconomic Development Commission.

Participates in the Society for the Advancement ofMaterial & Process Engineering show (SAMPE), May12-14, 2003, in Long Beach, California, are, left toright, Bill Peperone, Entergy; Patrick Eagan,MetroVision; and Steve Molnar, MetroVision.

Society for the Advancement ofMaterial & Process Engineering

Show (SAMPE)

National Plastics ExpositionChicago

June 23-27, 2003

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