Annual Report for 2019 Banquet

2018

Report

Goals for 2019 Chamber SWLA:

Alliance Foundation:

Attain 1500 Members by

Raise $1 million for the

Dec 31, 2019

Foundation with current and new investors

Advocate for new I-10 Bridge Facilitate announced and new Prioritize Governmental

industrial projects

Affairs on Local, State, and Federal level, respectively

Certify three new industrial sites

Cultivate a culture of

Expand Workforce Development

inclusion and diversity within

programs with an emphasis on

the Alliance and the region

S.T.E.A.M.

Initiate Quality of Life

Promote entrepreneurship with

projects in the region

the SWLA Business Incubator and other programs

9102 rof tegduB rebmahC

9102 rof tegduB noitadnuoF

2019

Activities

Gus Fontenot, Economic Development Project Coordinator, working with regional partners like Entergy has unveiled two certified sites in the past three months.

The Lake Charles Regional Airport (158 acres) showcased their newly certified site at the airport on November 6, 2018.

Members of Louisiana Economic Development (LED), including Sec. Don Pierson, and members of the Airport Administrative Board, Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, City of Lake Charles, Entergy Louisiana and SWLA Economic Development Alliance (Alliance) were on hand for the ceremonial event. The airport (LCH) hopes this designation attracts new tenants to the property, which is zoned for commercial or light industrial use.

Vinton Harbor & Terminal District Board President Jerry Merchant unveiled a conceptual sign on January 16, to be posted on Southwest Louisiana’s newest certified site at the Port of Vinton. The 156-acre site (#11) is zoned for heavy industrial use.

Representatives from Louisiana Economic Development (LED), the Board of Commissioners for the Vinton Harbor & Terminal District, Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, City of Vinton, Entergy Louisiana, SWLA Economic Development Alliance and others were on hand for the ceremonial event at Vinton City Hall. The Port of Vinton site is the 10th certified site in Southwest Louisiana and the seventh in Calcasieu Parish, but only the second site west of the Calcasieu River.

“We believe the Port of Vinton will help sustain the economic activity we are seeing today in Southwest Louisiana,” said Board President Jerry Merchant. “Having a certified site will hopefully kickstart that activity and will continue to serve our community well into the future.”

Both signs were donated by Entergy.

Since 2012, the state’s Site Certification Program has incentivized land owners to get property certified by offering to pay up to 75% of the costs associated with the due diligence process. That process includes environmental inspection, elevation surveys, archaeological investigations, a wetlands delineation, and much more in-depth documentation, analysis, and background work. The remaining 25% of the costs are covered by the landowner or others.

For more information about Southwest Louisiana’s Site Certification Program, contact Gus Fontenot at (337) 433-3632, or email gfontenot@allianceswla.org.

CURRICULUM: ROBOTICS

Phillips 66 Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex donated $30,000 to the Southwest Louisiana Alliance Foundation to be used for a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) program that began this year in two Calcasieu Parish Schools: the College Street Career and Technical Center and the Westlake High School Career and Technical Center. Each school received 15 VEX robots and additional sensors for each robot to expand its functions. One teacher from each school traveled to the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy in Pittsburgh, PA, to attend a one week training session on the curriculum and hardware to effectively deliver this new program. Representatives from Phillips 66 and the SWLA Economic Development Alliance visited with the teachers and students recently to see the program in action.

Alcoa donated $15,000 to the Southwest Louisiana Alliance Foundation to be used for a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) program that began this year at Sulphur High School’s 9th Grade Campus. The school received 15 robots and additional sensors for each robot to expand its functions. Marielle Myers, Sulphur High’s Engineering Teacher, received online training through Carnegie Mellon Robotics Training Academy on the curriculum and hardware to effectively deliver this new program.

First picture: College Street Career & Technical Center students with Tony McCardle (CPSB Director Career & Technical Education), Karl Bruchhaus (CPSB Superintendent), Megan Hartman (Phillips 66 Public Relations Director), Jerry Baus (Computer Service Technician Teacher), and Morgan Turpin (Alliance SWLA Foundation Director).

Second Picture: Westlake High School Career & Technical Center students with Richard G. Harbison (Phillips 66 Plant Manager), Megan Hartman, Mike Richard (Computer Service Technician Teacher), Morgan Turpin, and Tony McCardle.“ “As a result of this grant, our Phillips 66 Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex – in partnership with the Southwest Louisiana Alliance for Economic Development and the Calcasieu Parish School Board – is able to assist in developing an exciting new program for career and technical students. We hope it will pique their interest in the wide range of career opportunities in our local refineries, manufacturing facilities and supportive service providers. This educational initiative is one way we can align our key company values to improve lives where we live and work,” said Richard G. Harbison, Phillips 66 Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex Plant Manager.

Stephen Ness (Plant Manager) from Alcoa and R.B. Smith (VP, Business Development) and Morgan Turpin (Foundation Director) from the SWLA Economic Development Alliance recently visited the classroom to see the program in action. PICTURED: Turpin, Ness, Myers with students in the Robotics Class

Coding and robotics are basic workforce skills needed to attract and sustain information technology businesses to our region. By having this program in the K-12 school system, our organizations are preparing our next generation of workers with foundational skills that will make them employable in careers with jobs that have yet to be developed.

Alliance Investors Acadian Ambulance Service Alcoa Foundation Alfred Miller Contracting Company Alfred Palma, LLC AMERISAFE, Inc. Barksdale Credit Union Beauregard Electric Cooperative, Inc. Beauregard Parish Police Jury Big Easy Foods Billy Navarre Chevrolet, Cadillac, Honda & Hyundai Biolab Brask, Inc. Brossett Architect, LLC The Broussard Group Bubba Oustalet Automotive Group Business First Bank Calcasieu Parish Police Jury Cameron Communications Cameron LNG Cameron Parish Police Jury Cameron Parish Port, Harbor & Terminal Capital One Bank CenterPoint Energy Century Group, Inc. Century 21-Bessette Realty Champeaux, Evans, Hotard Cheniere Energy, Inc. Chennault International Airport Authority Southwest Louisiana CHRISTUS Ochsner Health System City of DeQuincy City of DeRidder City of Lake Charles City of Oakdale City of Westlake CLECO Coushatta Casino Resort CSRS, Inc. Dunham Price DW Jessen & Associates, LLC E2E Technology, LLC Entergy First Federal Bank of Louisiana First National Bank of DeRidder First National Bank of Louisiana Freshko Food Service, Inc. Fusion Five Grace Church in DeRidder

Greater Beauregard Chamber of Commerce Hancock Whitney H & H Industrial, Inc. Healthy Image Iberia Bank Ingevity Corporation Isle of Capri Casino Hotel JD Bank Jeff Davis Economic Development Jefferson Davis Electric Cooperative JP Morgan Chase Bank Kaough & Jones Electric Company Keiland Construction Kennison Forest Products Knight Media Lake Area Marine Inc Lake Charles Coca-Cola Bottling Lake Charles Memorial Hospital Lake Charles Regional Airport Lake Charles/SWLA Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Lake Charles Toyota Lake City Trucking Langley, Williams & Company L’Auberge Casino Resort Louisiana Capital Certified Development Company, Inc. Louisiana Radio Communications Magnolia LNG McElroy, Quirk & Burch Merchants & Farmers Bank

Mermentau Harbor & Terminal District MidSouth Bank Northrop Grumman Paramount Nissan of Lake Charles Pedestal Bank Phillips 66 Port of Lake Charles Port of Vinton PPG Industries Pumpelly Tire Centers R & H Quality Refractory Services Rau Financial Group, LLC Recon Management Services Sabine State Bank Safety Council of Southwest Louisiana Sasol North America Scalisi, Myers & White (APC) Scofield, Gerard, Pohorelsky, Gallaugher & Landry, LLC Southern Solid Waste Southland Environmental, Inc. Southwest Beverage Company Southwest Louisiana Credit Union Stine, Inc. Stockwell, Sievert, Viccellio, Clements & Shaddock. LLP Stream Family Suddenlink SWLA Center for Health Services Tellurian, Inc. Town of Iowa Town of Vinton Turner Industries Union Pacific West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital West Calcasieu Port