Catalyst | Baton Rouge Area Chamber

brac.org

BOOTSTRAPPING OUR OWN

RECOVERY

After August flooding, BRAC helped lead the way forward.

Q3 PROGRESS REPORT

2016 E L E CT I O N P L AT FO R M for East Baton Rouge Parish

N E W WO R K FO R C E S T U DY

2016

Baton Rouge Area Chamber

Q3

CATALYST

F R O M T H E D E S K O F A DA M K N A P P

#BRACfact

THANKS FOR PICKING up this edition of Catalyst, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s quarterly magazine that highlights economic development issues and progress for our nine-parish area.

It seems like an understatement to characterize this summer as a system shock. It helped to crystallize for me the sobering reality that we’ve collectively experienced the best and worst of humanity within a very short period of time.

Like others, we have turned our attention to support of the nine-parish community as we begin the long road to recovery.

Please continue reading for more on that role in the feature story.

While I suppose it’s an uncodified requirement of my job description to remain positive about the Baton Rouge Area, I am confident in a better future for our community. The overwhelming human generosity since August gave us lasting hope in our common goodness and shared potential, at a time when we all needed it.

That sense of hope is also forward-looking. As we prepare for the fall elections—for mayor-president and Metro Council seats of the state’s largest parish—it’s imperative that we choose the right leaders to bring together our community and accelerate our recovery through positive change and decisive action. BRAC’s mayoral candidate platform (see story, page 6) offers more specificity about particular areas of focus for the parish and region's economic success and quality of life.

Finally, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to BRAC staff, our board, and regional and state partners who’ve worked tirelessly to engage their own personal gifts and talents, to save the stranded, to raise funds, staff shelters, provide outreach, and share recovery information with the business community—in many cases, while dealing with personal losses from the flooding. It’s the trying times that reveal true character. I’m privileged to work alongside such a caring and professional group.

On behalf of BRAC staff, we wish everyone well in recovering from the flooding. If we can help, please give us a call. As always, thank you for investing in—for believing in—the future of the Baton Rouge Area.

Enjoy the issue,

BRAC STAFF VOLUNTEERED TO OPEN A SMALL, 200-BED SHELTER IN MIDCITY FOLLOWING THE FLOODING. ADAM KNAPP President and CEO Baton Rouge Area Chamber

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TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

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Cover story

Bootstrapping our own recovery

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By the numbers

An uptick in residential construction jobs is expected as recovery efforts get underway

Open for business

EME, Katoen Natie move ahead with major projects

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Our region’s competitiveness

Advocating for student workplace experiences and a new workforce report headline BRAC’s latest contributions to public policy discussions

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2016 election platform

BRAC worked with stakeholders and business leaders to create a platform of policies and initiatives for candidates for the EBR mayorpresidency and Metro Council

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Reporting our progress

An update on BRAC’s progress against each of the four goals of the five-year strategic plan

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A top leader from PricewaterhouseCoopers provided an eye-opening perspective on millennial employees at BRAC’s latest Signature Speaker event

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Campaign investors

Funding the Think Bigger campaign

CATALYST /kat’l ist/ n

1 something that initiates or causes an important event to happen

2 a person or thing that precipitates an event or change

3 see also: energy, momentum, trailblazer, Baton Rouge Area Chamber

BATON ROUGE AREA CHAMBER 564 Laurel Street Baton Rouge, LA 70801 225-381-7125 brac.org

Cover photo by Allie Appel THIRD QUARTER

2016

ANDY CRAWFORD PHOTOGRAPHY

Business event showcase

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OUR ECONOMY

REGIONAL ECONOMY

BY THE NUMBERS

The August 2016 job total of 411,800 was one of the highest ever for the metro area.

#BRACfact BRAC’S RESEARCH TEAM PROVIDES AREA BUSINESSES WITH CUSTOM RESEARCH, REPORTS AND ANALYSIS.

8% in terms of construction jobs.

ALTHOUGH THE Capital Region’s It is plausible that the damage caused economy was negatively affected by the to hundreds of thousands of buildings and flood, over-the-year job numbers remain other structures by the August flooding will positive with a 7,000 job gain. Most of this job spark a turn in construction job numbers growth lies in trade, transportation, utilities, over the next few months. Early education and health services, and data suggests that homes were professional and business services, hit particularly hard, leading to an highlighting the diversity of the local expectation of an uptick in resieconomy. The regional housing market is one of the early indicators growth in Capital dential construction jobs. Estimaof the flood’s impact: sales were Region construction tion of damages for businesses and infrastructure remains in the down 23% in August, while inventory jobs from 2006 early stages, but projects related of homes is also down significantly, to present to these could lead to an increase as prices rise. The low supply of in commercial and industrial housing combined with post-flood construction. While the flood undoubtedly demand is bolstering this price increase. had a devastating effect on the region, Baton The housing issue underscores the Rouge is uniquely situated to rebuild in part importance of the construction workforce in because of its strong construction workforce. the Baton Rouge Area. From 2006 to present, Baton Rouge has experienced 41% growth in Andrew Fitzgerald the number of construction jobs, a far greatDirector, Business Intelligence er rate of growth than the state, which grew Fitzgerald focuses on research and analysis for 12% over the same time period, and the naBRAC’s business development and economic tion, which fell 12%. Since December 2015, however, the region has seen a downturn of competitiveness teams.

41%

Q 3 P R OJ E CT W I N S

THE CAPITAL REGION:

OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Each quarter, BRAC highlights business growth and new business operations in the Capital Region.

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DURING THE third quarter, BRAC assisted two projects with business expansions.

ELECTRO MEDICAL EQUIPMENT CO. “Along with our colleagues at BRAC, we congratulate Electro Medical Equipment Company (DBA EME Company, Inc.) on its expansion to Ascension Parish for its manufacturing operations,” said J. Michael Eades, president and CEO of Ascension Economic Development Corp. “This American-owned company produces a wide variety of devices, including highly specialized life-saving products for cardiac patients as well as maternal and infant care products.”

The project will result in five direct jobs.

KATOEN NATIE Katoen Natie will proceed with plans for a 210-job, 127-acre project in north Baton Rouge. A Belgian shipping company, Katoen Natie’s first phase of construction will include offices, a maintenance shop and storage facilities. “BRAC worked closely with Katoen Natie on incentives, project management and negotiations with two Class I railroads to provide dual service to the site,” said Adam Knapp, president and CEO of BRAC.

P O L I CY U P D AT E S

OUR REGION’S

COMPETITIVENESS

Increasing student engagement in workplace experiences prepares students for life after high school and career readiness.

#BRACfact LIZ SMITH, LEAD AUTHOR OF THE STUDENT WORKPLACE EXPERIENCES COMMENTARY, WAS SELECTED FOR A NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP FOR EDUCATION ATTAINMENT.

ADVOCATING FOR STUDENT WORKPLACE EXPERIENCES In advance of the Louisiana Department of Education’s public discussions about changes under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act implementation, BRAC issued a public policy commentary urging inclusion of workplace experiences in implementation plans. Increasing student engagement in workplace experiences prepares students for life after high school and career readiness.

The commentary took issue with those who have sought to leverage the federal law as a means of weakening school accountability.

In the era of school accountability and reform, initiatives that do not get measured and for which schools are not held accountable often go ignored, or as the business adage goes, “you get what you measure.”

Currently, Louisiana does not have any accountability measures in place regarding workplace experiences.

Workplace experiences are opportunities for students to engage in a real-world business setting, gaining an invaluable understanding of the soft skills and characteristics necessary for success after graduation. Although the most valuable type of workplace experience at the high school level is part-time work in a job or internship, meaningful workforce engagement can also occur when students are held to workplace-like standards and expectations through a school-based enterprise. These offer students an advantage in securing and keeping full-time employment upon graduation because they allow students to build a network of professionals and train students in appropriate workplace behavior.

The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives included the commentary in its weekly Education and Workforce Newsletter.

LEAD AUTHOR: Liz Smith Director, Policy and Research Smith is BRAC’s staff lead for regional and state-level public policy research and reform efforts in the areas of workforce development and public education.

REPORTING ON THE REGION'S WORKFORCE BRAC released its second annual analysis of the workforce, "The Regional Workforce: An Analysis of Labor Supply and Demand," building upon an initial report published last year. The 2016 report includes current jobs, projected short-term openings, median wages and number of projected graduates and completers of programs designed to train individuals for employment in those occupations. While last year’s report was a narrative that focused on feedback and best practices from BRAC investors, other local THE REGIONAL WORKFORCE: businesses, educators and trainers, the new report balances that input with more robust data. The analysis identifies high-growth and high-wage occupations by major industry and enumerates workforce supply compared to projected demand, demonstrating labor shortfalls and surpluses.

Short-term job growth is expected in diverse industries, including accounting, pipefitting and software development.

As workforce training needs of area businesses have become more diverse, regional Louisiana Community and Technical College System schools have adapted to offer affordable, customized training options.

Both reports are available online at brac.org/research.

AN ANALYSIS OF LABOR SUPPLY AND DEMAND

LEAD AUTHORS: Andrew Fitzgerald Director, Business Intelligence Liz Smith Director, Policy and Research CONTRIBUTOR: Erika Haguette Intern, Research Analyst BRAC’s Economic Competitiveness and Business Intelligence teams comprise the organization’s policy, research and advocacy arm.

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E L E CT I O N 2016

BRAC PUBLISHES

EBR ELECTION PLATFORM

The next mayor-president and Metro Council members will occupy pivotal roles in bringing communities together and championing solutions that improve the economic competitiveness of the Capital City.

Our next mayor-president and Metro Council should implement policies to improve the parish’s physical attractiveness, cleanliness and “quality of place.”

EAST BATON ROUGE has experienced

unprecedented economic growth over the past few years, but still faces challenges to maintain economic momentum, address traffic and provide economic opportunity for all parts of the parish.

Particularly following the tragic events of the summer, the next mayor-president and Metro Council members will occupy pivotal roles in bringing communities together and championing solutions that improve the economic competitiveness of the Capital City.

As the lead economic development agency of the city-parish and the region, BRAC worked with stakeholders and business leaders to create an election platform of policies and initiatives for candidates for the East Baton Rouge Parish mayor-presidency and Metro Council.

The next mayor-president and Metro Council must unite the parish, build on recent economic growth, address challenges to future expansion and extend opportunities for prosperity to all citizens.

In developing its platform, BRAC identified overarching requirements that candidates: • demonstrate unifying, collaborative vision and bold leadership across geographical, racial and income lines to foster inclusiveness and consensus, instead of divisiveness and conflict; • emphasize the value of diversity, including nondiscrimination policies; and

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• think and act regionally with other Capital Area parishes.

BRAC prioritized six top issue areas: 1. Pursue major solutions to improve transportation infrastructure to relieve congestion and enhance mobility.

2. Drive policies and initiatives that bring change to the criminal justice system, that build trust in law enforcement and that effectively reduce crime rates and increase public safety.

3. Champion public education and workforce solutions to develop more quality options, improve public perception and prepare young people for college and career.

4. Pursue robust economic growth policies.

5. Lead improvements for parish government services to be run more effectively and efficiently.

6. Implement policies to improve the parish’s physical attractiveness, cleanliness and “quality of place.”

Read the full platform online at brac.org/research.

By Michael DiResto Senior Vice President, Economic Competitiveness DiResto oversees BRAC’s regional and state-level public policy research and reform efforts, as well as government relations.

OUR COMMUNITY

BUSINESS COMMUNITY RESPONDS TO

JULY SHOOTINGS

Business and community leaders gather to commit to long-term engagement in the community healing process.

ON JULY 14, amid mounting tension in the community following the police shooting of Alton Sterling, a diverse group of area business leaders spoke out about their role in improving race relations and socioeconomic inequity in Baton Rouge. Just three days later, a lone gunman from out of state brutally attacked members of law enforcement, claiming the lives of Officers Montrell Jackson and Matthew Gerald and Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Garafola. In the wake of the violence, our community was on its knees.

The group of business leaders gathered on a stormy afternoon at BREC’s headquarters to commit publicly to active engagement in the community’s healing—acknowledging difficult issues rarely addressed so openly.

They cited root causes of disparity to tackle through public policy over the long term: criminal justice, poverty, educational attainment, jobs and job-preparedness, and community reinvestment.

The group pledged to a three-part resolution: • to acknowledge the racial divide in Baton Rouge; • to join with other groups and individuals with committed engagement in a healing process for the racial divide; and • to enter into deeper discussion of longterm policies for positive change.

Working with other business and philanthropic leaders, public and nonprofit institutions, the faith community, education, higher education and workforce, youth and student groups, law enforcement, and public officials, the group will actively engage on policies for systemic change in areas such as: • bringing change in the criminal justice system that builds trust in law enforcement; • improving education—the key to all future opportunity; • enhancing workforce training opportunities; • expanding economic opportunity; • championing and making the business case for greater diversity and inclusion; • reinvesting in the community; and • strengthening families.

More than 30 business leaders participated—both African-American and white—representing businesses both large and small, including representatives from the Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, among others.

ANDY CRAWFORD PHOTOGRAPHY

Days before a violent attack on local law enforcement, business leaders acknowledged tough issues for Baton Rouge.

Tiger Stadium was lit blue to honor the three local law enforcement officers who were killed on July 17.

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C OV E R S TO R Y

BOOTSTRAPPING OUR OWN

RECOVERY

Other than low-interest disaster loans from the Small Business Administration, few programs are available to support business recovery.

THIS SUMMER the Baton Rouge Area captured headlines the world over for the unprecedented violence that played out in our streets in July, beginning with the police shooting of Alton Sterling and the attack on law enforcement that claimed the lives of three officers and injured three others—one gravely. The images of our city were difficult to recognize and even harder to explain.

National media carried the story of protesters and police in standoffs. Many outside groups quickly converged on Baton Rouge to participate in the spectacle. The media attention portrayed the Baton Rouge Area at its worst; social media activity amplified the messages.

Then came the floods…

In August, Baton Rouge and south Louisiana were beleaguered by historic flooding.

As the floodwaters rose and the situation unfolded, full import of the damage had yet to be revealed.

Enter the Cajun Navy—a group of civilian boaters and self-deputized first responders, plucking people and pets from rooftops, flooded cars and unspeakable circumstances. These heroes quickly became a metaphor for the resolve of the people

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of south Louisiana—bootstrapping their own recovery—neighbor helping neighbor, family helping friends and strangers helping strangers.

The ingenuity of private businesses and facilities cannot be overstated. Facilities like Celtic Media Centre and the River Center quickly opened their doors to countless people—no questions asked.

As the floodwaters began to recede, the resilient people of south Louisiana and the particularly hard-hit Baton Rouge Area quickly turned their attention to recovery.

Days after the epic flooding, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber released an analysis of the potential magnitude, one of the earliest assessments of the damage that would eventually be recognized as the fourth costliest disaster in over a decade, and the worst natural disaster since Superstorm Sandy struck the Northeast in 2012. This early analysis helped to shape the scope of the disaster in the national media, and bring much needed attention to the plight of south Louisiana’s citizens.

BRAC’s reporting revealed that the impacted area covered more than 1,000 square miles throughout the nine-parish region.

Using geographic information system (GIS) data provided by LSU’s Stephenson Disas-

ter Management Institute, BRAC sought to identify housing and business data in the affected areas, and to quantify the homes and businesses that were at risk by virtue of their locations in the 22 parishes declared as federal disaster areas.

Results of the analysis were sobering, revealing the following for Baton Rouge Area businesses: • Overall, 11,994 businesses employing 136,377 individuals were located in areas identified as flood-affected.

These represent 34.8% of businesses in the overall Capital Region, and these specific locations employed 32.8% of area employees.

• Proportionately, businesses in Livingston Parish experienced the most severe impact with 3,305 businesses that employed 27,653 employees in the areas of flood impact, representing 91% of businesses and 94% of employees.

• East Baton Rouge Parish was most affected in terms of gross numbers, with 6,685 businesses located within the imBaton pacted area, employing 84,768 people, and representing 29.7% of businesses and 29.1% of employees.

Approved Small Business Administration Disaster Assistance Loans as of October 10, 2016

• Other parishes with high percentages of affected businesses included Ascension, East Feliciana and St. Helena.

• Within the region, the hardest hit industries were retail, construction, health care, manufacturing and food services/ drinking places.

SUPPORT OF SMALL BUSINESS Recognizing the importance of small businesses to a sense of community and the success of the overall economy, the business community quickly mobilized to provide immediate help to impacted small businesses. Loosely modeled on an effort following Hurricane Katrina that raised $1.7 million for businesses in the New Orleans Area, the Louisiana Small Business Rebirth Fund was created.

In announcing the first of two rounds of grants, BRAC President and CEO Adam Knapp said, “Small businesses are the most impacted. Jumpstarting their recovery through grantmaking will expedite a longer term entrepreneurial renaissance for our community.”

Rouge Flood-Identified Areas The Rebirth Fund provides small triage grants—ranging from $1,000 to $10,000—to

support small businesses impacted by the historic flooding. To date, the Fund has awarded nearly $550,000 in grants to 107 small businesses.

The tremendous need among small businesses, as well as the magnitude of the flood’s impact and the insufficient resources available to rebuild, is underscored by the more than 800 applications the Fund has received.

Gov. John Bel Edwards penned a letter in support of the Rebirth Fund, which was instrumental in fundraising outside of Louisiana to make possible the grants. The Fund will continue to accept donations and will make a determination on a third round of funding based on available resources.

BRAC and the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry created the Louisiana Small Business Rebirth Fund, representing partnership with Greater New Orleans Inc., the Louisiana chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business, the Louisiana Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and One Acadiana. NOLA Media Group pledged $100,000 in seed funding. Thereafter, dozens of companies, individuals and business organizations contributed to the Updated 8.21.1 Fund. The Advocate offered grant recipients

FLOOD-IDENTIFIED AREAS

STATEWIDE 12,300 approved loans for a total of $901.7 million • Homeowner/Renter Loans: 11,429 approvals totaling $822.1 million • Business/Economic Injury Loans: 871 approvals totaling $79.6 million EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH 5,615 approved loans for a total of $421.6 million • Homeowner/Renter Loans: 5,168 approvals totaling $380.6 million • Business/Economic Injury Loans: 447 approvals for $41 million East Baton Rouge Parish totals alone are close to half of the state total.

Source: ©2016 Esri.

LSU Stephenson Disaster Management Institute

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2016

August 21, 201

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free advertising packages to assist businesses in promoting their reopenings.

More information is available at labizrebirth.org.

Proportionately, businesses in Livingston experienced the most severe impact with 3,305 businesses that employ 27,653 employees in areas of flood-impact, representing 91% of businesses and 94% of employees.

#BRACfact GOV. EDWARDS APPOINTED BRAC PRESIDENT AND CEO ADAM KNAPP TO THE RESTORE LOUISIANA TASK FORCE.

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LOOKING AHEAD As the region continues to rebuild, there are several initiatives and milestones that the business community should be aware of.

• Federal disaster aid totaling $437.8 million has been approved of the requested $2.6 billion, with more anticipated in the coming months. This influx of recovery dollars is expected to accelerate the rebuilding efforts for homeowners and businesses, and address large-scale infrastructure issues like the Comite River Diversion Canal project.

• The deadline to register for federal disaster assistance has been extended to Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. This deadline includes the Small Business Administration physical damage loan. The deadline to apply for the SBA economic injury loan remains Monday, May 15, 2017. More information on SBA disaster loans can be found online at sba.gov/disaster.

• Gov. John Bel Edwards established the Restore Louisiana Task Force in September to oversee the state’s recovery efforts. The task force will recommend programs for short- and long-term recovery at the state and local level.

President Barack Obama toured the floodravaged city of Central on Aug. 23.

BRAC recognizes that small businesses remain the urgent priority for a full and vibrant recovery, and is committed to partnering with allies to seek programs to ensure that assistance is provided.

OUR PROGRESS

REPORTING

OUR PROGRESS

Each issue of Catalyst features an update on BRAC’s progress against each of the four goals of the fiveyear strategic plan.

1ST GOAL

GROW AND DIVERSIFY THE BATON ROUGE AREA ECONOMY

Business development Thus far this year, BRAC has supported six projects that created 511 jobs and $20.9 million in annual payroll.

In pursuit of its goal to diversify the regional economy, BRAC’s Business Development staff participated in recruitment missions, targeting specific industries slated for growth within the region, including water, manufacturing and bioscience. The staff hosted site selection consultants from around the country to familiarize them with the Baton Rouge Area and the advantages of its economic assets through tours and special engagements.

BRAC’s Business Retention and Expansion program, which supports existing businesses through introductions to resources to support their growth, connected a company with the Research Park and its venture fund, Innovation Catalyst. The team also facilitated a connection between a local company and Louisiana Economic Development’s Economic Gardening program, which provides small businesses with information they need to grow and succeed through technical as-

sistance and research. This quarter, the BRE program visited 57 area companies.

Innovation through entrepreneurship In an effort to centralize business assistance resources and spur entrepreneurial synergy, BRAC played a supporting research role in the launch of NexusLA (nexus-la.org), a project of the Research Park Corp. to map the region’s “entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

This new program aims to become a hub of business resources for the region. NexusLA has also partnered with BRAC to perform extensive research on the digital technology and water industry clusters, to provide even greater targeted information to build out the ecosystem website.

2ND GOAL

CULTIVATE THE REGION’S TALENT

Business partnerships with schools Although BRAC has already achieved its annual goal of establishing 10 business partnerships with schools, BRAC continues to expand those efforts through the launch of the Virtual Schoolhouse: brac.nepris.com.

The Virtual Schoolhouse provides a platform for teachers to request business engagement in the form of virtual guest speakers, project panelists and mentors. Business THIRD QUARTER

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OUR PROGRESS

The first cohort of InternBR students graduated in August.

leaders engage in short video calls with students, helping to connect the workforce to the classroom. The platform also enables in-person engagements at the request of educators. Registration and use is free for business and industry; please visit brac.nepris.com to sign up.

Regional workforce development In order to help make sure governmental workforce demand projections are aligned with business and industry needs, BRAC has successfully put into place a review process for regional workforce demand for the state occupational projections. In partnership with the East Baton Rouge Workforce Development Board 21, BRAC led a meeting of regional business leaders to review the state’s draft occupational projections, comparing them against prior year projections and projections from a third-party provider.

The feedback garnered was provided to the Louisiana Workforce Commission and Workforce Investment Council and was very well received. This process will serve as a foundation that BRAC will refine for use next year, ensuring that local businesses inform the state’s projection process, making it more detailed and accurate.

Attraction and retention of top talent In August, BRAC graduated the first

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cohort of InternBR students. A new initiative this year of BRAC’s Talent Development program, InternBR was created to assist area employers with talent attraction and retention through investment in top millennial talent. The program offered post high school-age students professional development training over the summer. Participating students represented six universities and 21 area businesses. A graduation ceremony took place on Aug. 5, featuring a speech by Morgan Kastner, who was selected by her peers to represent the class.

That same week, the Baton Rouge Area Leadership Class of 2017 was announced.

More than 40 participants represent the business, civic and nonprofit sectors.

Both InternBR and Baton Rouge Area Leadership promote community leadership and involvement, with InternBR focused on cultivating millennial talent and Leadership concerned with educating participants about key economic and societal issues facing the region.

3RD GOAL

TRANSFORM THE BATON ROUGE AREA’S QUALITY OF LIFE

Transportation In September, Gov. John Bel Edwards and Louisiana Department of Transportation

and Development Secretary Shawn Wilson announced they have identified funding for and will expedite construction to widen I-10 between Highland Road in Baton Rouge and La. 73 in Ascension Parish. The $60 million project comprises a major segment of a project that was shown to have the greatest congestion relief for the dollar, according to a comparative analysis undertaken earlier this year by CRISIS, the regional business-led transportation advocacy coalition BRAC helped to form in 2015. Along with the recently announced plan to use federal FASTLANE dollars to relocate the Washington Street exit, this new announcement represents the second CRISIS priority project to be funded this year.

High-quality school choice BRAC’s five-year strategic plan calls for improved access to high-quality school choices for Baton Rouge Area families. As evidence of progress in this area, two new charter operators were approved in East Baton Rouge Parish, the state Legislature funded a charter boarding school, Lee High School reopened on its new campus, and planning continued for the Ardendale career training center. These schools serve specialized groups of students: high-performing and low-income, those seeking project-based STEM learning, those seeking to

New and redeveloped schools will serve more than 10,000 students, providing excellent education options for the diverse student population in East Baton Rouge.

gain valuable industry-based credentials in high-demand industries, and those pursuing a college preparatory education. Together, these new and redeveloped schools will serve more than 10,000 students, providing excellent education options for the diverse student population in East Baton Rouge.

Quality of place In July, BRAC announced its preliminary engagement plan for “quality of place” initiatives at its Regional Stakeholders' Breakfast as the result of a series of strategic planning meetings with business leaders and community partners. Creating a distinctive and appealing quality of place—a catch-all term for an area’s physical appearance, development and sense of character—has been identified among the region’s most needed but most overlooked issues, and one which has already been embraced at the national level as an important economic development tool for cities and states of all sizes. Access to talent is a top consideration for companies considering relocation and for entrepreneurs looking to start businesses, and a region’s quality of place is critical to attracting and retaining that talent.

The initial areas of focus include: • promoting public awareness and education around quality of place, including evaluations of specific problem areas; • fostering improved coordination and collaboration between major public and private quality of place stakeholders;

• ensuring that quality of place is embraced by the next mayor-president and his/her administration; • adopting improved maintenance, landscaping, blight elimination, and land use and development policies; and • encouraging investment in streetscape improvements and better management of major regional assets.

4TH GOAL

ELEVATE THE REGION’S EXTERNAL IMAGE

External media relations BRAC’s analysis on potential impact of the August flooding attracted attention from national and international media, including The Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press and its French equivalent, The New York Times, Washington Post, Politico and National Public Radio, to name a few. Absent actual damage calculations, the analysis, based on data from Louisiana State University’s Stephenson Disaster Management Institute and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, became regarded as an early and objective source of information about potential impact of the unprecedented weather disaster.

Super-regional efforts The third Southeast Super Regional Canvas Workshop took place at the international destination of Panama. Business and civic leaders from the Baton Rouge, Greater New Orleans and Houma-Thibodaux areas visited Panama City and Colón.

In July, BRAC announced its preliminary engagement plan for “quality of place” initiatives.

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B R AC E V E N T S

BUSINESS EVENT

SHOWCASE

BRAC executes a variety of events throughout the year offering opportunities for business networking and professional development.

Several events are open to the public, although BRAC investors receive discounted registration. Information about upcoming events is available at brac.org/events.

workers,” said Adam Knapp, president and CEO of BRAC. “Her professional expertise, in addition to PwC’s research on the subject, provided attendees a deeper understanding of ever-changing workplace dynamics as a result of generational differences and the cultural changes they necessitate.”

Donovan served as keynote speaker for BRAC’s semi-annual Signature Speaker event, sponsored by Taylor Porter and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Signature Speaker features speakers of national renown on global business issues.

Signature Speaker Anne Donovan

INTERNATIONAL CANVAS The Southeast Super Region Committee held its first international Canvas trip last month. Business leaders from the Baton Rouge, Greater New Orleans and Houma-Thibodaux areas traveled to Panama City and Colón to explore transportation, trade, redevelopment and revitalization, education and workforce, health care and biosciences, and environmental management. This year marked the third Super Region Canvas trip; previous destinations included Orlando-Tampa and Phoenix-Tucson.

“There is a lot we can learn about how they are trying to grow their economy and also about how they are grappling with some of the issues we have,” said Ann Trappey, president of Forte and Tablada and chair of the BRAC board.

SIGNATURE SPEAKER On Sept. 13, approximately 140 business leaders gathered to learn about multigenerational differences in the workplace. Baby boomers in the audience appeared shocked by the speaker’s characterization of them as “the problem,” citing historical inflexibility in the workplace.

Anne Donovan, people innovation leader for PricewaterhouseCoopers, the world’s largest professional services firm, provided an eye-opening appraisal of the importance of adapting the work environment to engage millennials.

Donovan began her presentation—during which she walked through the audience taking questions—by asking attendees to identify themselves by generation: baby boomers, X or DOWNTOWN BLOOD DRIVE Y/millennial.

In partnership with LifeShare Blood Donovan explained that millennials seek Centers, BRAC organized a downtown blood work/life balance, development opportunidrive to honor victims of the attack on law ties, frequent recognition and meaningful enforcement in July. During the summer work. She attributed these factors to higher months, the local blood supply is typically levels of employee engagement, which leads low. to higher profit.

Her remarks focused on PwC’s global study examining how millennials impact the workplace. A partnership with the University of Southern California and the London Business School, PwC’s twoyear global generational study involved people from different generations, career stages and cultural backgrounds.

“Anne is a nationally recognized expert in understandCanvas trip to Panama ing the next generation of

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FUNDING

THINK BIGGER

CAMPAIGN INVESTORS

EXECUTIVE LEVEL

All Star Automotive Group Capital Area Finance Authority Capital One Bank Cox Communications Excel Group ExxonMobil Refinery & Supply Guaranty Media Louisiana State University System Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center

BOARD LEVEL

Adams and Reese Law Firm The Advocate The Baton Rouge Clinic Baton Rouge Coca-Cola Bottling Company Baton Rouge General Medical Center Bernhard Capital Partners Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, LLP CSRS, Inc. DEMCO and CLECO Dow Chemical Company Economic Development Partnership Fund Entergy GEC, Inc. Georgia-Pacific IBM iHeartMedia Jones Walker, LLP JPMorgan Chase Kean Miller, LLP LUBA Workers’ Comp Ochsner Health Center Baton Rouge/Ochsner Medical Center Baton Rouge Phelps Dunbar, LLP The Powell Group Regions Bank Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips, LLP Turner Industries WAFB WBRZ Westlake Chemical Whitney Bank

DEVELOPMENT LEVEL

Albemarle Corporation Amedisys, Inc. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. BASF Corporation Baton Rouge Water Company Boh Bros. Construction Co., LLC C-K Associates Coastal Bridge Company Forte and Tablada, Inc. Greater Baton Rouge Association of REALTORS® Greater Baton Rouge Business Report IBERIABANK Jacobs Lamar Advertising Company L’Auberge Casino and Hotel Launch Media LCTA Workers’ Comp Lemoine Company MAPP Construction, LLC NAI Latter & Blum NRG Energy, Inc. Performance Contractors, Inc. Professional Service Industries, Inc. RES Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann, LLC The Storage Center Stupp Corporation Teknarus Woman’s Hospital Wright Feigley Communications

R&D LEVEL

AT&T Atmos Energy Barber Brothers Contracting Co./Waterloo Operations CB&I Community Coffee Company Lard Oil Company Magellan Behavioral Health Manda Fine Meats MESH Milton J. Womack, Inc. Object 9 Orion Instruments Starmount Life Insurance Company

POLICY LEVEL

Air Liquide Large Industries U.S. Belle of Baton Rouge Casino Business First Bank Faulk & Winkler, LLC GMFS Mortgage Hannis T. Bourgeois, LLP Hollingsworth Richards Auto Group Hollywood Casino Investar Bank La Capitol Federal Credit Union LaPorte CPAs & Business Advisors Level Homes Lofton Staffing Services Lyons Specialty Company McGlinchey Stafford Neighbors Federal Credit Union Postlethwaite & Netterville Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers Red River Bank SGS Petroleum Services ShoppersChoice.com, LLC Sparkhound St. Elizabeth Hospital Stirling Properties Team Automotive Group WRKF

SUPPORTING LEVEL

+ one design and construction ABB-KTEK Acme Refrigeration of Baton Rouge, LLC Airtrol, Inc. Armstrong Relocation Ascension Economic Development Corp.

Associated Grocers Atkins Global BancorpSouth Insurance Services/Wright & Percy Bank of St. Francisville Baton Rouge Printing Baton Rouge Telco Federal Credit Union Beau Box Real Estate Benny’s Car Wash Brock Services, Ltd. Brown Claims Management Group Cajun Industries, LLC

Campus Federal Credit Union Cardno The Celtic Group Chenevert Architects Cintas Corporation Cornerstone Government Affairs D. Honoré Construction, Inc. Edgen Murray Essential Federal Credit Union Fishman Haygood, LLP Formosa Plastics GraceHebert Architects Guarantee Service Team of Professionals H.R. Solutions, LLC Hearin Properties - PODS Hotel Indigo Hunt, Guillot & Associates, LLC KPMG, LLP Kurz & Hebert Commercial Real Estate, Inc. Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry Lipsey’s Long Law Firm, LLP Louisiana Office Supply Company Louisiana Radio Network Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Massengale Grounds Management, Inc. Merrill Lynch Olinde’s Furniture/Baton Rouge Beverage Company Prime Occupational Medicine Raymond James Advisors Republic Services/Allied Waste Ritter Maher Architects Roedel, Parsons, Koch, Blache, Balhoff & McCollister SSA Consultants Star Service, Inc. Stonehenge Capital Company Surgical Specialty Center of Baton Rouge TOPCOR Companies Walk-On’s Enterprises Wampold Companies WASKEY WHLC Architecture

THIRD QUARTER

2016

15

BRAC’S BIG THINK PRESENTS

JEFF CHERRY CONSCIOUS VENTURE LAB November 15, 2016 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Cook Hotel and Conference Center

Register at brac.org/events

CAN CONSCIOUS CAPITALISM TRANSFORM OUR CITIES? Conscious Venture Lab operates on the premise that a more inclusive form of capitalism – focused on societal purpose – can have a transformational impact and help to create a more just, joyful and prosperous society for all.

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