5th & Main - Spring 2024

BUILDING A reimagined LOUISIANA THROUGH FRESH IDEAS, INTENTIONAL STRATEGIES AND UNPRECEDENTED COLLABORATION AND CONVICTION

BY COLLIN

PHOTO

RICHIE

SINCE ASSUMING THE ROLE of head of LABI in November, I’ve had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the state, speaking with businesses, local chambers, elected officials, and Louisiana citizens. Regardless of the town or region, I find that everyone shares a common sentiment: frustration with the status quo and a strong desire for new initiatives to propel Louisiana forward.

It’s this frustration that put a new governor and insurance commissioner into office along with new leadership in the House, Senate and BESE. You’ve all heard the adage—out with the old, in with the new—but before we can get to “What’s New and What’s Next,” I believe we must address the way of thinking that’s on its way out after decades of putting Louisiana in a precarious position.

It’s a harsh reality, but one we must confront head-on. Louisiana’s position is dire, with the state ranking at or near the bottom of almost every quality metric. From having the highest auto insurance rates in the nation to a lackluster business environment (number 45 in 2024), the situation is alarming. We’re near the bottom in education, 4th in violent crime, and in the top 10 states for outbound migration. These figures are hard to digest, but they underscore the urgency for us to

fresh PERSPECTIVE

act now and reverse this downward trend.

It’s this urgency and the need for specific solutions that led LABI to draft our LA23 strategic plan. The LA23 plan offers a comprehensive approach to tackling our state’s challenges with an eye toward positioning Louisiana as an economic leader in the South. LA23 recommendations focus on four key areas: Education & Talent Supply, Economic Development, Tax & Business Climate, and Safety & Resiliency. This bold strategy, backed by clear and concise policy initiatives, has garnered support from all levels of government, including state agencies and the governor’s office. To maximize our impact, we must avoid a fragmented approach and address issues like insurance reform and educational opportunities in a unified manner.

With LA23 as our roadmap, we’ve moved into action with LA Driven. The arrival of new statewide elected officials and a new legislature has brought renewed energy to the statehouse. Many new lawmakers bring with them a fresh perspective and a business-friendly mindset, eager to make LA Driven reforms across the board.

It’s been exciting to have buy-in from legislators to tackle the problems we’ve grown accustomed to in Louisiana, from

improving our education system and deploying commonsense training and preparedness initiatives to growing our lagging workforce, making our state the leader in new energy solutions and reining in our out-of-control legal environment. We’ve heard plenty of talk for years —now is the time to take action. With LABI’s LA Driven agenda as the guide, we can make Louisiana the next economic success story.

So out with the old—anything that hasn’t served the state and her people well should be ditched—it’s why Louisiana is failing by a lot.

Next, it will take a bold new vision to get Louisiana where it needs to be. We have that plan. Is it ambitious? Yes. Is it doable? The LABI staff, our board leadership and our over 2,000 members are committed to making it happen. In fact, much progress has already been made during the current legislative session.

As the saying goes, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. We have a long journey ahead, but thankfully we have the roadmap to get us there! We hope you will come along for the ride.

WILL GREEN LABI PRESIDENT & CEO

A native Louisiana company since 1990, Thornton, Musso, and Bellemin, Inc. has been a proven manufacturer, supplier, and advisor throughout the overall water treatment industry with regard to chemicals and professional consulting. HUNDREDS OF NSF CERTIFIED PRODUCT LISTINGS, ALL MANUFACTURED AT OUR FACILITIES, ALL RIGHT HERE IN THE USA

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EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Ashley Gordon

PRODUCTION/DESIGN

Mariah Hernandez, Kenli Lacassagne, Stephen Llorens

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Kelli Bozeman

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Ava Borskey, Marie Centanni, Mariah Hernandez, Mary Beth Hughes, Gary Perilloux, Johnston von Springer

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Mark Bienvenu, Tim Mueller, Jeannie Frey Rhodes, Collin Richie

President & CEO

Will Green

Communications

Senior VP of Marketing & Strategic Communications: Ashley Gordon

Director of Policy Communications: Mariah Hernandez

Communications Manager: Johnston von Springer

Graphic Design Manager: Stephen Llorens

Membership

VP of Membership Relations: Elena Lacour

Member Relations Assistant: McKenna Ramsey

Policy

Senior VP of Government Relations: Jim Patterson

General Counsel & VP of Government Relations: Lauren Hadden

VP of Government Relations: Patrick Robinson

Director of Government Relations: Mary Beth Hughes

Government Relations Coordinator: Carly Watts

Administration

VP of Finance & Administration: Wanda Allphin

Director of Financial Operations: Tabitha Guidry

IT Director: Andre Forbes

Front Desk Manager: Sheila Saniford

BY KELLI BOZEMAN

WHAT’S NEW AND WHAT’S NEXT FOR LOUISIANA? A wave of exciting possibilities, if a growing number of innovative companies located within the state have anything to say about it. Take Danos, for example, which is cranking out “Cajun Coral” on special 3D printers at a resilience technology center of excellence it established in partnership with climate technology company Natrx in the St. Mary Parish community of Amelia. The tailored concrete modules also known as ExoForms are used to restore natural habitats along the Gulf Coast and nearby waterways. Danos’ facility is located along Bayou Boeuf with direct access to the Intracoastal Waterway and the Gulf of Mexico, and the storm-hardy units can be shipped worldwide for resilience projects including fish habitat and biodiversity enhancement. “This process is cost-effective, proven and unlike any other solution in the market,” says Danos Ventures CEO Eric Danos. From the Arkansas border to the coast, other companies and organizations are also taking up the mantle of working to improve life for the residents of Louisiana. Many of their efforts are spotlighted on the pages of this issue. The tide is truly turning.

MOVING FORWARD

Made to Order

MEATS WERE THE MAIN FOCUS

when S&W Foods was founded in Tangipahoa Parish in 1978. Forty-six years later, the wholesale company distributes everything from private-label and big-brand foods to equipment and paper goods to a client base including restaurants and foodservice operations throughout southeast Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. That tremendous growth has prompted the need for expansion, and with that in mind, the firm announced in April a $21 million investment in a new headquarters facility in Hammond.

The new hub will increase operational capacity and provide for more efficient order fulfillment, according to Louisiana Economic Development. The expansion will allow the company founded by Frank and Rosemary Spalitta and now run by their son Paul to retain more than 100 local jobs, and the building renovation project will create some 60 construction jobs.

“I’m proud to see the company my parents started over 46 years ago right here in Tangipahoa Parish reach such a huge milestone in our company history,” says president and CEO Paul Spalitta. “Being Louisiana local is something we’re very proud of, and as Louisiana’s leading independent foodservice supplier, it’s important for me that S&W’s big move happen where our company roots began. I want to continue to grow and support this community and Louisiana’s hospitality industry that has supported our growth and success for all these years.”

The facility renovation project will include a refitting to accommodate office space and a roof replacement; the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. In order to win the project in Hammond, LED offered

S&W Foods an incentives package that includes a $700,000 performance-based award from the Economic Development Award Program for reimbursement of infrastructure costs and roof repair.

“Louisiana’s world-class food scene extends beyond our many great restaurants to the locally owned businesses that support this wide-ranging sector,” LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois says. “There are success stories just like S&W Foods in every corner of Louisiana, and LED is committed to supporting these businesses as they grow and export Louisiana’s food expertise far and wide.”

S&W’s success can be attributed in part to the flexibility that its independent status provides, as well as its ability to offer a wide range of products. The company has forged partnerships with local companies like Cajun Chef

and Louisiana Fish Fry along with internationally known brands including Kraft Heinz and Nestlé. It also offers private-label brands including Copper Creek Cattle Company black angus beef and Captain Frank’s seafood.

Artisanal and specialty cheeses are also on the distributor’s menu, thanks to its partnership with The Rind Cheese Company.

“This company has worked extremely hard to remain an excellent community partner through their years of growth and expansion,” says Tangipahoa Parish president Robby Miller. Adds Tangipahoa Parish executive director of economic development Ginger Cangelosi, “This group has been doing business in Tangipahoa for decades and has had quite a substantial economic impact on this entire region.”

HEALTHCARE HEADLINES

Great Minds

WITH A CURVILINEAR LAYOUT inspired in part by brain synapses, Ochsner Health’s Debra H. and Robert J. Patrick Neuroscience Center promises to bring a new level of neurological care to New Orleans upon its expected completion in 2026. Ochsner broke ground on the 132,000-squarefoot facility in late 2023, and it is being brought to life by Woodward Design+Build and BWBR. The new center will bring together Ochsner’s extensive network of neuroscience and behavioral health specialists to provide diagnosis and treatment of a variety of conditions, as well as expanded research and educational programs. Billed as the only freestanding major neuroscience facility of its kind between Houston and Atlanta, the facility will also include a multispecialty early-onset dementia clinic as well as the Team Gleason Assistive Technology Lab, aimed at helping ALS patients gain independence. “The goal for this Neuroscience Center,” says Ochsner Neuroscience Institute co-director C.J. Bui, “is to bring the most innovative and advanced multidisciplinary neurological care to the Gulf South region.”

SET FOR GROWTH

Compound Capacity

BASF recently completed a capacity expansion project that will allow it to produce increased volumes of key specialty compounds at its site in Geismar. The compounds are marketed under the Baxxodur and Lupragen brands and include polyetheramines—used as curing agents and chain extenders for industries ranging from wind to flooring—and amine catalysts—used in the polyurethane forming process. The Geismar site is the largest BASF site in North America and is staffed by more than 1,200 employees and 1,000 contractors. “Our Geismar site was the ideal location for this expansion,” says BASF vice president Kevin Anderson, “thanks to its existing infrastructure and skilled workforce.”

CLEAN VISION

Win Winn

MODERNIZING its Dodson lumber mill in Winn Parish will also mean a reduction in carbon emissions for Weyerhaeuser, one of the world’s largest private owners of timberland. The company’s recently announced $96.2 million project includes the installation of three Continuous Dry Kilns, which are part of a new low-carbon process drying system that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, waste and maintenance costs while increasing drying capacity. Also part of the project are a new trimmer, sorter and stacker aimed at improving efficiencies and helping the facility reach production targets.

COURTESY

MOVING FORWARD Here We Grow

NEW ORLEANS-BASED LAW FIRM Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson has expanded to Lafayette. Founded in 1928, the firm specializes in the defense of insurance companies and their insureds. The firm also has offices in Thibodaux, Covington and Baton Rouge.

Acadiana was also the destination for Elifin’s latest expansion, as the Baton Rouge-based commercial real estate brokerage firm opened an office in Lafayette in December 2023. It was the third expansion of the year for Elifin, which announced the opening of a New Orleans office in January 2023 and a location in Columbus, Ohio, in April 2023.

Hannis T. Bourgeois CPAs + Business Advisors recently announced an expansion to Alexandria by way of a merger with Daenen Henderson & Company. HTB was founded in Baton Rouge in 1924 and later added locations in Denham Springs, New Orleans and Hammond. DHC’s 11 employees are now part of HTB’s accounting, tax, assurance and consulting team.

V. Graham held a ribbon cutting for its expanded Lafayette office in March. The financial services company had maintained an office and staff in Lafayette since early 2023 but relocated to an expanded office location near River Ranch. The company offers both remote services and on-site financial support to its clients.

Baton Rouge-based beer, wine and spirits distributor Mockler Beverage has expanded across the state by acquiring Southwest Beverage Company, an Anheuser-Busch distributor in Alexandria, Leesville and Lake Charles. The agreement expands Mockler’s reach to 11 additional parishes; the company already covered the New Orleans and Houma-Thibodaux areas.

Danos Group Holdings has acquired Performance Energy Services of Houma. The acquisition includes all PES business units as well as an administrative office in Houma and a waterfront operations facility. PES will remain a separate entity as it joins Danos’ family of companies. Danos is actively seeking more acquisitions in the traditional and alternative energy sectors, notes Danos Ventures CEO Eric Danos.

Less is more.

LOUISIANA

Louisiana is the least a ordable state in the nation for both auto and homeowners insurance, resulting from a combination of natural disasters, economic conditions, and the state’s litigation environment.

INSURANCE RESEARCH COUNCIL, 2023

Louisiana has only 1.5% of U.S. population but ranked 5TH among states with increasing jury verdicts against corporations above $10 million (2009-2022).

LOUISIANA RECORD (APRIL 10, 2023, STUDY) PROPERTY INSURANCE STABILITY REPORT, JAN 1, 2023

LOUISIANA POLICYHOLDERS SAID THEIR PREMIUMS INCREASED LAST YEAR $1,263

“TORT TAX” EVERY LOUISIANAN PAYS FOR EXCESSIVE LEGAL COSTS

JOINING FORCES

Lone Star Lender

A TEXAS BANK once known as the “smallest bank in the U.S.” will become part of the b1Bank family under an acquisition agreement reached in April. Business First Bancshares, the holding company for b1Bank, is set to acquire Dallas-based Oakwood Bank for approximately $85.7 million. The acquisition will increase Business First’s consolidated total assets to approximately $7.4 billion and will increase the percentage of Texas loans in b1Bank’s portfolio from 37.1% to 44.4%. This is the latest in a string of Texas acquisitions for Business First. “Expansion in the Dallas market,” says Business First acting chairman, president and CEO Jude Melville, “has been a successful focus of b1Bank for a number of years.

JOB CREATOR

Data Plan

A $50 MILLION EXPANSION and enhancement of Fibrebond Corporation’s Minden production facility in Webster Parish will allow the company to retain 450 jobs and will also result in nearly 650 indirectly supported jobs in the state, according to Louisiana Economic Development. The facility—which supports data center, telecommunications, industrial and utility projects nationwide—is designed to accommodate wiring and installation of electrical gear in concrete and steel modular buildings produced by Fibrebond.

“The pace of our growth has increased since we began expanding our Minden campus in May 2022, driven broadly by the digitization and electrification trends,” says Fibrebond president and CEO Graham Walker.

“We have added 180 direct and 100 subcontractor jobs in the past 15 months, and all of those people are building for projects across the country.”

FUTURE FOCUSED

Eyes on the Prize

COULD NORTHWEST LOUISIANA become a hub of health-focused entrepreneurs? That’s the goal of Startup Prize: Focus on Health, an annual competition that rewards innovation with cold hard cash. And now The Prize Foundation, which sponsors that contest, is itself a prize winner, recently receiving a three-year, $300,000 grant from Louisiana Economic Development to expand the Focus on Health award program.

“Supporting health care and life science innovation drives new business investment, new job creation, and the creation of new intellectual property in Louisiana,” says LED secretary Susan B. Bourgeois. “The annual Startup Prize is a powerful opportunity to increase the pipeline of startups for these vibrant sectors.”

COURTESY

HOSPITALITY SWEET

Roll On

SEEING A BIG RIG UP CLOSE might just inspire young visitors to a planned trucking museum in downtown Baton Rouge to pursue a career in transportation. That’s the idea behind the venture steered by the Louisiana Motor Transport Association Foundation, which has purchased two Florida Street buildings for use as their headquarters and the tourism venue. “We can’t recruit drivers, so we need to get kids interested in what we do,” LMTA executive director Renee Amar told The Advocate when the sale was announced. “The concept is we have to get that generation engaged much earlier on than we are doing right now.”

KUDOS

Digital Dynamo

LOUISIANA WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CORPORATION’S efforts to innovate its underwriting, distribution and submissions processes were recognized in March by the global financial services research firm Celent with its Model Insurer Award for Legacy and Ecosystem Transformation. LWCC was honored for initiatives including leveraging technology to improve communication with agents, updating its broker portal, and creating a new underwriting workbench to increase decision speed and accuracy. “The project’s success was anchored in our team’s dedication to innovation and agility,” says LWCC senior vice president and chief information officer Gary Sanders. “With this implementation, we’re showcasing our shared vision of creating technology solutions focused on each individual stakeholder.”

BEST PRACTICES

Timber Tech

THE CREATION of oriented strand board at RoyOMartin’s Oakdale plant in Allen Parish will soon become more efficient thanks to the firm’s $30-million-plus investment in installing advanced production equipment. OSB, a strong and dimensionally stable engineered wood made with wood strands and adhesives and used in commercial and residential construction, is molded using a Dieffenbacher hydraulic press that will be outfitted with new components including an advanced press hood. “Our Oakdale OSB facility has been a cornerstone of RoyOMartin since it produced the first panel in January 2007,” says Terry Secrest, RoyOMartin’s executive vice president of manufacturing and product sales. “This $30 million investment secures the Oakdale mill’s status as a world-class manufacturing facility in Allen Parish for many years to come.”

MAKING AN IMPACT

Well Built

SEVERAL LOUISIANA COMPANIES and LABI members picked up high honors at the Associated Builders and Contractors’ 2024 National Excellence in Construction Awards celebration in March. The awards are presented for the year’s most outstanding construction projects and contractors who have made major achievements in quality, leadership, safety, innovation and inclusion, diversity and merit. DonahueFavret Contractors of Mandeville was named an Eagle Winner/General Contractor in the Healthcare category for its operating room expansion and renovation project for the Thibodaux Regional Health System, and the firm was also honored as a Pyramid Winner/ General Contractor for its work on the Bayou Bend Health System Wellness Center in Franklin. Baton Rouge-based ISC Constructors was named an Eagle Winner/Specialty Contractor in the Electrical category for its ExxonMobil Baytown chemical expansion project. Performance Contractors of Baton Rouge was selected as an Eagle Winner/General Contractor in the Industrial category for its Baton Rouge Advantaged Crude expansion project; the company also picked up a Pyramid award for its SC-1 flare recovery project in Hahnville and was named a Pinnacle Winner for Heavy and Civil Engineering Contractors. And Baton Rouge-based Cajun Industries took home two Eagle awards: one for Specialty Contractor in the Specialty Construction: Industrial category for its work at the Entergy Caminada Substation, and one for General Contractor in the Industrial category for its Plaquemines LNG early works piling project. Durr Heavy Construction of Harahan was named an Eagle Winner among specialty contractors for its sitework on the Ochsner Center for Nursing and Allied Health at Delgado Community College. Baton Rouge-based Group Contractors was recognized as a Pyramid Winner in the specialty contractors division for work on Boardwalk Pipeline’s Jackson Compressor Station Reversal and Cooler Replacement Project. Turner Industries, also of Baton Rouge, received a Pyramid award for its Vineyard Wind 1-Haliade-X Blade Rack Fabrication at GE in New Iberia. Barriere Construction Co. of LaPlace and Plattenville’s RES Contractors each picked up Merit awards for safety excellence among heavy and civil engineering contractors.

BRIGHT IDEA Help for Higher Ed

SEVERAL PROMINENT COMPANIES have recently announced major investments in colleges and universities around Louisiana. SOWELA Technical Community College in Lake Charles will expand its Process Technology Center—a hub for students seeking careers in oil and gas—thanks to a $1 million donation from Phillips 66. Meanwhile at Louisiana Tech, the parent company of RoyOMartin donated $1 million— with the assurance of another $1 million this summer—for the construction of the school’s new Forest Products Innovation Center, aimed at solving timber industry challenges. And LSU will get a boost to its scholarship funds through a $62,000 pledge from the carbon removals and renewable energy company Drax; the commitment is designed to support students and research geared toward sustainable forestry and renewable energy. “Just like our existing Louisiana operations,” says Drax head of international partnerships and advocacy Dawn Whitworth, “our goals are to boost economic development, support future workforce training, and build a foundational knowledge exchange.”

COURTESY SOWELA

GETTING BACK IN THE GAME

LABI’s Board Chairman Jason Decuir fights the good fight BY

MARY BETH HUGHES

POLITICOS

know Jason DeCuir as a regular at the Louisiana State Capitol and a tax expert. High school footballers know him as a color commentator for Cox Sports. At LABI, we know him as our dedicated 2024 board chairman.

DeCuir graduated from Catholic High in Baton Rouge and then moved to Washington, D.C., where he served as place kicker on the Howard University Bisons football team.

“I actually tried out for the NFL after college,” says DeCuir. “I went to the Combine but didn’t see a future there. I loved business and finance and I come from a family of lawyers, so I decided to go back to school.”

DeCuir earned his MBA at Louisiana Tech and law degree at LSU, then went back to the nation’s capital to complete a master’s degree in tax from Georgetown. After law school, DeCuir had a front row seat to one of the biggest events in Louisiana’s history.

“I clerked for Judge Frank Polozola, and during my clerkship, I got to work on the sentencing for former Governor Edwin Edwards, which was one of the more interesting things

I’ve done in my career,” DeCuir says. “There wasn’t a bigger story in Louisiana politics at the time.”

Edwards was found guilty in 2000 on 17 counts of racketeering, mail and wire fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering. He served eight years in prison.

When DeCuir came back home for good after his last stint in DC, he realized things hadn’t really changed. DeCuir’s friends in Houston, Charlotte and other southern cities were thriving, while Baton Rouge and other Louisiana communities were struggling.

“I decided that if I’m going to live in Baton Rouge, I need to be part of the solution,” says DeCuir. “Instead of complaining about many of the things wrong with Louisiana, why don’t I become a part of fixing those things?”

DeCuir got involved in the political scene and has become a go-to tax policy expert. After years of involvement at LABI, DeCuir is now serving as 2024 Board of Directors chairman and sees this as the year to get Louisiana back in the game.

“We have a new governor, new LABI president and new legislature,” said DeCuir. “We’ve got the blocking and tackling down. It’s time to roll our sleeves up and get to work.”

BIG OPPORTUNITY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

Micro Lending

Loans of up to $100K from approved lenders.

Collateral Support

Pledged cash provides collateral assistance on loans of up to $1 million.

Loan Guaranty

State guaranty of up to $1.5 million increases borrowing power by reducing risk to lenders.

Seed Capital Financing for startup and early stage businesses in exchange for shares and investor involvement.

Venture Capital Financing for expanding business in exchange for share and investor involvement.

We’re putting our energy into a better Louisiana.

NEXT ONE… On to the

BY JOHNSTON VON SPRINGER

LABI board members reveal what they want the state’s new administration to tackle next.

“I hope the new administration takes seriously the health and well-being of Louisianans.  People drive the economy. I believe our health and well-being both as individuals and a state rely on an ecosystem of informed and related decisions. The LA23 Strategic Plan provides guidance to create that ecosystem; now the administration just needs to focus on the road to Louisiana’s bright and thriving future through the lens of LA23!”

LAUREN GIBBS, CEO, Gibbs Construction, LLC

“The work done under the GUMBO and BEAD programs has been nothing short of transformative for Louisiana. As we continue to partner with our state’s leaders, the extension and expansion of these initiatives remain critical in our ongoing efforts to provide universal, reliable broadband access to all our citizens.”

DAVID J. AUBREY, President, AT&T Louisiana

“Continue to tackle insurance reform to bring competition back to our state. The insurance marketplace continues to be in a MAJOR crisis, and we have to navigate that environment every day.”

PEYTON

FARR,

Branch Manager, Forth Insurance

“We need to be focused on creating more private sector jobs. Whether it be simplifying our tax code or lowering regulatory hurdles, we must give more Louisianans a chance to uplift their families through the dignity of work.”

JOE ZANCO, President/CEO, Catalyst Bank

“Louisiana has the unique opportunity to redefine those functions and activities which should be state sponsored and funded, and those functions and activities which should be locally funded at the parish or municipal level. Then the state tax structure can be redefined to fund the state functions, and the local government tax structures modified to fund the local functions. The elimination of the Corporate Franchise Tax and the Inventory Tax are very important steps in the modification of the state tax structure. Changes to the state’s constitution will be required to achieve the optimal result.”

J. H. CAMPBELL, JR., Manager, Client Consulting Services, LLC

“I’m not considering the efforts underway as complete by any means. Businesses need to have tort reform passed to eliminate the litigious nature of our state, and the insurance problems in our state solved if we are going to compete going forward.”

JOHN DONAHUE, President/CEO, DonahueFavret Contractors, Inc.

“Our company is excited about the new governor and his steadfast leaning to improve things that have needed life for years. I am very interested, like many Louisiana employers, in the new Economic Development plan and restructuring the Governor has proposed. If we get this right, and we recruit new businesses we will start helping to solve healthcare, education and beyond.”

SCOTT BALLARD, Founder, Ballard Brands

“It is time for a comprehensive overhaul of our state constitution to provide our elected officials with the ability to enact vital reforms to Louisiana’s tax and fiscal structure, education system, legal and insurance landscape, and the many other priorities outlined in LA Driven.”

JASON DECUIR, Partner, Advantous

“I would like the new administration to consider the regulatory climate in general. And the direction of the state with the energy transition happening. The CCO docket is of interest, too. How friendly will the state be for responsible industry to continue to grow and do business here?”

CALVIN HART, Vice President, Nucor Steel Louisiana

“Constitutional reform.”

BILL FENSTERMAKER, Chairman/CEO, Fenstermaker

“Remove the barriers for businesses and landowners to launch or start carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects in Louisiana.”

DEANO ORR, Public Affairs Manager, Weyerhaeuser

“ The most important issue that we face in our industry is long-term investment in our crumbling infrastructure across the state. Currently, Louisiana has roughly a $18B backlog of critical infrastructure projects that are not funded. The problem is only going to get worse because most infrastructure funding comes from the gas tax in our state which is not indexed to account for inflation and has not been increased in over 30 years. The money that is currently generated from the gas tax is not enough to keep up with the growing backlog, so every year it will continue to grow.”

JASON LATIOLAIS, President/CEO, Barriere Construction Company, LLC

“1. Louisiana businesses struggle to find qualified candidates to train and rely on to prosper. Politicians love to tinker with education but few, if any, have delivered any positive results. Business depends on results that produce growth for both the company and its employees. From early childhood through higher education the system is not delivering that result.

2. A mechanism is needed to ensure the fair and equal application of our laws. Prosecutors and judges must be held accountable for mis-application of discretion in all cases involving a criminal act.”

JOE ARROYO, President, Fire Extinguisher & Supply Company, Inc.

“CCUS (carbon capture) is an economic opportunity our wonderful Louisiana has not experienced in many years. Our legislators have the opportunity to work with stakeholders across the spectrum to address in a manner that leaves no doubt across the U.S. and the world—if you have a carbon project—Louisiana is the #1 place to locate and help transform things on so many levels, keeping our children home and bringing in new residents to bolster our economy for generations!”

BRYAN HANKS, President, Beta Land Services, LLC

“Louisiana needs to continue to protect the labor/employment laws for which LABI has long advocated that provide the needed balance to retain and attract businesses to the state. This includes those statutes that allow only the state to raise any minimum wage beyond the federal minimum, that do not require public agencies, departments and boards to allow union representation of their employees without approval of those organizations, and that retain the administrative process for workers' compensation claims.”

FRED PREIS, Senior Partner, Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, L.L.P.

“We need the leadership of the state to help improve the business climate of Louisiana. This includes improvement in public safety, infrastructure, education, workforce development and tax policies. It also includes modernization of how our state regulates businesses. Many neighboring southern states have less onerous laws and regulations and have grown both their businesses and their populations in the past five years. Louisiana is lagging, and we need to address that.”

STEVEN UDVARHELYI, MD, President/CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana

“My primary concerns revolve around tort reform. One never knows how or when a plaintiff will demand ‘justice’ in the form of money from business in this state. It’s also the first comment I hear when I bring out-of-town folks in from the airport … ‘What’s the deal with all the trial lawyers on the billboards?’ It really sends the wrong message to anyone who wants to move here or start a business.”

CHRIS KINSEY, CEO, Kinsey Interests, Inc.

“1. Holistic tort reform

2. Simplification of the tax code—effective tax rate isn’t bad, but getting to that point...”

RELDON OWENS, Executive Director, Louisiana Associated General Contractors, Inc.

“Corporate tax reform would be the issue that we would like for the administration to tackle next. Given that we are the only southern state with a decreasing population, we need to be more competitive with our neighboring states to entice businesses to invest capital—dollars and people—in our communities and state.”

SLADE SIMONS,

Executive Vice President –Wealth Management & Trust, Gulf Coast Bank & Trust

“The LA23 plan provides a great outline of the priorities that need to be addressed to ensure that we are competitive with our neighboring southern states. This new administration and legislature truly have an opportunity to usher in a new era for the citizens of our great state. I hope they will embrace and support the ideas presented in LA23.”

BLAKE CHATELAIN, President/CEO, Red River Bank

“The most pressing matter for the new leadership to address is legal reform, also known as tort reform. By taking action to change the legal environment, as suggested by LABI, the legislature and administration have the power to reduce the high insurance rates that burden Louisiana citizens and businesses, which are currently the highest in the country.”

TOM COX,

Executive Chairman, Golfballs.com, Inc.

“I would like to see the administration and legislature tackle the issues holding Louisiana back from participating in the economic resurgence happening in our neighboring states. Reforms to the regulatory environment, the overly litigious legal system and K-12 education should be their primary focus. Significant improvement in these areas is necessary to create a positive environment that would encourage new business to enter and remain in Louisiana, thereby allowing our children and grandchildren to grow and prosper in Louisiana.”

BOBBY BAROUSSE, Chief Financial Officer, Elmer Candy Corporation

KNOWING LOCAL & BEING LOCAL

ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER.

We craft the stories that educate, captivate, and motivate the people of the Gulf South. We have chosen to stay and build so we can speak directly to the people most important to us.

The NATURAL

BY KELLI BOZEMAN

Tyler Gray’s depth of experience has helped him to easily step into the role of Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources after being appointed to the post by Gov. Jeff Landry in January. For more than seven years, Gray served as president and general counsel for the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, which represents all sectors of the oil and gas industry operating in the state and the Gulf of Mexico. He has also held roles as an attorney for the Office of Conservation and for the City of New Orleans. His latest position was as corporate secretary for Placid Refining Company. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from James Madison University, a law degree from Loyola University and an M.B.A. from LSU.

Gray takes the helm of DENR at a time of great energy opportunities for the state. We caught up with him to get his take on everything from carbon capture to diversification.

Why is primacy so important for Louisiana?

Primacy in regulating Class VI carbon sequestration wells is vital for Louisiana due to its implications for the state’s energy sector and environmental stewardship. With its rich history in oil and gas production, Louisiana has a vested interest in managing carbon emissions effectively. The Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources has worked diligently alongside the Environmental Protection Agency for decades, overseeing the implementation of underground injection control for various classes of wells. The expertise garnered through this collaboration positions Louisiana to responsibly manage Class VI injection wells, ensuring compliance with rigorous environmental standards. The state’s commitment to primacy underscores its dedication to both fostering energy innovation and safeguarding environmental integrity.

What do you see as the biggest impediments to energy growth in Louisiana?

Despite Louisiana’s strides in energy regulation, several impediments hinder optimal growth. Environmental concerns, while valid, often overlook the advancements in regulatory science and oversight. Louisiana’s regulatory framework, which is often more stringent than federal standards, aims to address these concerns. However, navigating regulatory complexities and reconciling industry interests with environmental sustainability remain ongoing challenges. Collaborative efforts between industry stakeholders, regulatory bodies and environmental groups are essential to surmounting these obstacles and fostering sustainable energy growth in Louisiana.

How do you see Louisiana’s oil and gas industry evolving over the next decade to compete with the rest of the world?

Over the next decade, the oil and gas industry in Louisiana will witness significant evolution to remain competitive globally. This evolution encompasses technological advancements, such as enhanced oil recovery techniques and carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) initiatives. Louisiana’s energy sector is poised to leverage these innovations to mitigate environmental impacts while maximizing resource utilization. Additionally, diversification efforts beyond traditional fossil fuels, including investments in renewable energy and petrochemicals, will enhance Louisiana’s competitiveness in the global energy landscape.

Tell us about your first 100 days in your new role. What gets you excited for the future?

In my first 100 days in office, facilitating the transfer of Class VI applications from the EPA to the LDEQ has been a priority. We have successfully transitioned all 23 applications, demonstrating our commitment to efficient regulatory processes. Moving forward, I am excited about the prospects of Louisiana’s energy future. Our state’s resilience, coupled with strategic investments in innovation and sustainability, positions us for continued leadership in the energy sector. Collaborative partnerships, regulatory diligence and a steadfast commitment to environmental stewardship will drive Louisiana’s energy agenda, ensuring a prosperous and sustainable future for generations to come. ■

WORKING TOGETHER to Address Louisiana’s Insurance Challenges

BY COMMISSIONER OF INSURANCE TIM TEMPLE

LONG BEFORE I took office in January, I realized the need for broad collaboration on efforts to address Louisiana’s insurance crisis and stabilize the market for consumers and businesses.

Following a series of devastating hurricanes in 2020 and 2021, a dozen insurers that wrote policies in our state went insolvent, leaving many consumers with—at best—a handful of expensive options.

While it is true that Louisiana’s hurricane risk and coastal exposure will always be factors insurers consider when determining where to write policies, there are ways to improve our regulatory and legal environment to positively impact the affordability and availability of insurance.

Teamwork is vital when it comes to finding these kinds of long-term and sustainable solutions. My 20-plus years in the insurance industry taught me that it takes the right people working together to turn the most challenging obstacles into opportunities.

After graduating from Southern Methodist University in 1993, I held various roles in the insurance industry, served as chair of the Louisiana Committee of 100 for Economic Development and as president of Temptan, a family-owned investment management business in Baton Rouge.

It was my father, Aubrey, who first taught me the value of teamwork. In addition to cofounding Amerisafe, which provides specialty workers’ compensation insurance in 27 states, my father served as the founding Chairman of the Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Board of Directors for its first 23 years.

My father and his business partner saw the need for a workers’ compensation writer in the logging industry during the 1980s and made it happen by assembling a team to develop a plan of action. I am using a similar approach to address our state’s insurance crisis by identifying the problems, bringing the right people together and creating solutions to address them.

The Louisiana Department of Insurance has already implemented a host of regulatory changes aimed at cultivating a more vibrant insurance marketplace in our state. I am also supporting a series of reforms this legislative session that will help attract insurance companies to Louisiana to stimulate competition and benefit our consumers.

Insurance is increasingly unavailable and unaffordable here because we are lagging behind other states when it comes to attracting investment dollars from insurers and reinsurers. We must take aggressive steps to show insurance companies that doing business in Louisiana is at least as worthwhile as doing business in states like Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

The property reform legislation I supported this session will do just that. SB 323 by Chairman Kirk Talbot has been signed by the governor. It is tailored to making the claims process more transparent so insurers can pay claims quickly while reducing the amount of unnecessary litigation. Claimants who have been mistreated by their insurer deserve to be fairly compensated through the legal process, but I believe litigation should not substitute for the ordinary process of adjusting claims.

The legislature also passed HB 611 by Chairman Gabe Firment to amend the “three-year rule,” which prohibits insurers from dropping policyholders if they have been with the insurer for three or more years. It does not apply to new policies and is phased out over time for existing policies. Louisiana is the only state in the country that so aggressively prohibits insurers from managing their risk. The three-year rule has been a major deterrent for insurers considering Louisiana, and eliminating it shows we are serious about reforming our market. Other bills that have already passed and been signed into law include SB 295 by Sen. Heather Cloud, which modernizes the rate and form-filing process by replacing our prior approval system with a more streamlined fileand-use approach. The governor has also signed legislation by Rep. Matthew Willard that strengthens the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program by eliminating its sunset date this session. The commitment to strengthening the resiliency of our homes and businesses is a long-term project that is vital to securing Louisiana’s future and the safety of our residents.

I will continue to work with Governor Jeff Landry, our legislative leaders, consumers, the industry and business professionals like you as we move through this legislative session to find solutions to revitalize our state’s insurance market. Though we have taken the first steps, our work is just beginning. I am confident that better days are ahead, and I look forward to making a positive impact on the lives of our state’s residents and business owners.

IN BUSINESSBest

LABI celebrates the difference makers in Louisiana with its Free Enterprise Awards

BY AVA BORSKEY COLLIN RICHIE PHOTOGRAPHY

What do a 29-year-old law enforcement firearms distributor, a music-loving New Orleans attorney, and one of the country’s largest industrial specialty contractors have in common? They’re all recipients of the 2023 LABI Free Enterprise Awards. Every year, LABI honors the companies and individuals who demonstrate exemplary commitment and contributions to the state’s business climate and to their local communities. Not only do these recipients deserve a big round of applause, they also demonstrate what can be achieved through vision, discipline and a drive to succeed. Turn the page to read about their amazing stories.

Small Manufacturer of the Year NOBLE PLASTICS

Ed Steimel Achievement Award CECIL J. BLACHE

Workforce Innovator of the Year ISC CONSTRUCTORS

Large Company of the Year PLACID REFINING COMPANY

Young Businessperson of the Year DILLAN RIDER, RSG WHOLESALE

Businessperson of

BRYAN HANKS, BETA LAND SERVICES

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Ed Steimel Achievement Award CECIL J. BLACHE

CECIL J. BLACHE has always been at the forefront of progress in Louisiana. As a child, he was one of the first students to integrate into public schools in New Orleans. Today, he is an attorney who has dedicated his life to making the state a better place.

Blache has been active in every session of the Louisiana Legislature since 1980. After Hurricane Katrina, he played an instrumental role in forcing change and policies to help bring families back to the state. He continues to be known as a keen political strategist and consensus builder to this day.

For all of his accomplishments and service, LABI has recognized Blache as the 2023 recipient of its prestigious Ed Steimel Achievement Award, named for LABI’s founding executive director. This award honors individuals with longstanding LABI service who demonstrate a fierce

commitment to improving the quality of life in Louisiana.

Blache says receiving the award is meaningful both professionally and personally. “It’s a big honor for me to receive the Ed Steimel Award, given who Ed Steimel was in my life and the pivotal impact he had on me, personally, in getting me to see the world from a broader view,” he says.

When Louisiana passed its right to work law in the mid-1970s, Steimel was instrumental in creating a lobbying group to mitigate some of the tension between organized labor and the business community. As a 1979 graduate of the Loyola University New Orleans School of Law, Blache would play an important role in managing those relationships.

In the mid-1980s, Blache served as LABI’s staff lead on small business issues. As an expert in labor law, he provided

critical contributions in advancing and defending unemployment compensation reforms. He sat on the LABI Board of Directors for three decades and was a member of LABI’s Executive Committee for eight years.

Throughout his extensive career, Blache also served as the Assistant Secretary of Labor over Employment Security for the Louisiana Department of Labor and as Chief Legal Counsel to the Louisiana House Labor Committee.

Today, Blache continues serving Louisiana as a successful attorney and partner at Roedel, Parsons, Blache, Fontana, Piontek & Pisano. He has focused his career on government relations and regulatory law at the state and local levels. His diverse client list has included Transdev, the Port of New Orleans, Chevron, the New Orleans Aviation Board and the New Orleans Business Council.

Blache is active in numerous professional organizations and nonprofits. He serves on the boards of the Black Economic Development Council, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, WWOZ radio and the Louisiana Nature Conservancy. He is also a member of Samaritan House and 100 Black Men of Metro Baton Rouge, a nonprofit through which African American men serve as role models to empower youth.

Blache’s friends and colleagues say it’s easy to see tangible examples of his work everywhere. Wayne Fontana, a fellow shareholder at the same law corporation as Blache, said nearly everybody seeks out Blache’s thoughts and ideas.

“He’s somebody who has his ear to the ground on just about every major economic issue that this state has ever considered,” Fontana says. “If you’re riding a streetcar in New Orleans, if you’re landing

at the airport in New Orleans, if you’re at the Jazz & Heritage Festival, C.J. had something to do with all of that.”

Fontana adds that Blache has etched his place on “the Mount Rushmore of business leaders in the state.”

Ann Duplessis, a former member of the Louisiana Senate, says that Blache was one of her mentors when she first entered the State Legislature. The two remain friends to this day.

“He’s the real deal,” Duplessis says. “You have to spend a minute with him— and it only takes a minute—to see his heart, his intellect and his passion for everything he does.”

Duplessis describes Blache as someone who uses his influence to promote good, with no expectation for anything in return.

“He just wants to be impactful,” Duplessis says, “and he is.”

For Christian Rhodes, Blache’s nephew, it’s hard to summarize the impact his Uncle Cecil has had on his life. Rhodes describes Blache as “the cool uncle” who had a nice car and listened to Tupac in the ’90s. Beyond the personal impressions Blache left on Rhodes as a child, seeing his uncle accomplish big things instilled a professional admiration that’s remained with Rhodes as he grew and eventually began his own legal career.

“Here he is, a black man from New Orleans who, since 1972, has been thinking big,” Rhodes says. “He understood what Martin Luther King called ‘the fierce urgency of now.’ He applied that to all aspects of business, and regardless of political ideology or regional philosophy, he’s someone who would sift away all the red flags.”

Above: Blache with LABI’s founding Executive Director Ed Steimel.

Small Company of the Year ORION LABORATORIES

RACHAEL SLAUGHTER wanted to provide better healthcare services for the people of Louisiana.

It’s one of the reasons she, her husband David, and their business partner True Webb started Orion Laboratories back in 2019.

Orion Laboratories is a full-service medical lab that focuses on customer service and quick turnaround times for test results. As a regional laboratory, Orion covers the entire state of Louisiana and

achieves its goal of providing fast and accurate diagnostic information by keeping all its business within the state.

“Everything’s processed here in Baton Rouge,” Slaughter says. “Having it done that way and getting your results in sooner helps with your surgery time, helps your physician get their information on time, and helps the overall outcome of whatever your bloodwork is for.”

While bloodwork is a large part of Orion’s business, the lab offers a variety

of services from cultures to urine testing. Orion prides itself on providing clean facilities, little to no wait times and an experienced staff.

“A lot of patients have a fear of getting blood drawn,” Slaughter says. “We try to put them at ease.”

Slaughter says having quality phlebotomists is crucial, especially because of the number of pediatric and elderly patients Orion serves. Convenience is also key; patients can give samples at their doctors’

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Orion Laboratories’ new 30,000-square-foot headquarters in Baton Rouge is a clinical laboratory offering a comprehensive array of routine and specialty lab testing services so that bloodwork does not have to leave the state to be processed.

offices and have an Orion courier pick the samples up, or they can bring their lab orders to any of Orion’s locations to have the services done with or without an appointment.

Orion has 30,000 square feet of lab space at its new headquarters on Corporate Boulevard, with several other patient service centers across the Capital City and in Covington. Around 90 employees work diligently to provide quality healthcare services to the people of Louisiana.

While national laboratories may ship medical samples across the country, leaving patients waiting days or even weeks for results, Orion’s regional focus simplifies the process. A fleet of red vans sits ready to transport specimens from any corner of the state for same-day processing. “You can rely on us to do it here,” Slaughter says. “Why send it somewhere else?”

When patients and Louisiana healthcare companies decide to use a local lab

like Orion, things like insurance and funding stay in Louisiana, Slaughter explains. Medicare and Medicaid funding remains in the state. And patients and providers receive quality care with service that is homegrown.

Keeping Louisiana business in Louisiana is Orion’s ultimate goal. “Providing better services and better care for Louisiana and not letting these resources leave the state,” Slaughter says, “is very important.”

Right: Rachel Slaughter, along with her husband David and business partner True Webb, launched Orion Laboratories in 2019 with the desire to create a professional, local, full-service lab focused on customer service.

Large Company of the Year PLACID REFINING

PLACID REFINING COMPANY

has been fueling the Louisiana economy since 1975.

Located in Port Allen, Placid is an independent and privately owned refinery that produces and distributes transportation fuels across the southeastern United States. With 42 distribution locations spanning 11 states, Placid supplies gasoline, diesel and jet fuel for a variety of commercial and military uses.

“We have such a great workforce of awesome people,” says Placid president Robert Beadle, who started working for the company as a contractor about 25 years ago. “Being able to lead that group, it’s a present every day.”

Placid has around 230 direct employees as well as 100 or so contractors on site on any given day. Nearly all of the firm’s employees are Louisiana employees, and with its recent relocation of headquarters from Dallas to downtown Baton Rouge,

Placid has centralized its management and manufacturing within the state.

The company has a strong presence throughout Louisiana, with 11 total distribution locations spread across the state—the most locations of any state the company services.

“We supply a lot of fuel to the state of Louisiana,” Beadle says. “We’re very proud of being one of the major suppliers during hurricanes and emergency response events.”

Placid is also proud of its high commitment to safety. In 2022, the company won the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers’ Elite Gold Safety Award, a recognition given to companies in the top 5% of safety performance nationwide.

A refinery is a complex plant with many different units, making safety an integral part of everything Placid does. The Placid refinery processes about 75,000 barrels of predominantly domestic crude oil per day, which translates to roughly

50,000 barrels of diesel and gasoline. Beadle said each day’s goal is to get the job done safely and to supply what the community needs—and sometimes those needs go beyond fuel. Placid and its employees strive to support local charitable causes, including food pantries and schools. Every year, Placid offers a fouryear scholarship to a graduating senior at Port Allen High School.

“We really want to support West Baton Rouge, where we’re located, as much as

possible,” Beadle says.

For its achievements and exemplary commitment to Louisiana, Placid earned the distinction of LABI’s 2023 Large Company of the Year. With a multitude of new projects on the horizon, Beadle says Placid plans to keep improving, growing and servicing the state.

Ongoing modernization projects at Placid’s Port Allen facility are aimed at enhancing refining processes and strengthening the company’s competitive position in the state.

Above: Placid announced that it would move its headquarters from Dallas to downtown Baton Rouge in early 2023. The new offices are located in the former headquarters of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation on North 4th Street.

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Small Manufacturer of the Year

NOBLE PLASTICS

longevity of our staff really comes back to who we are and what we’re trying to do,” Rogers says. “It’s consistent.”

SOME MIGHT CALL these core values noble ideas, but to Missy Rogers and the 60 or so other employees at Noble Plastics, that’s just the way to do good business. It’s in the name, after all.

Rogers is the founding president of Noble Plastics, an injection molding manufacturer based in St. Landry Parish that specializes in difficult-to-mold plastic parts. Noble’s story began in 2000. Rogers and her husband, Scott, recognized some difficulties with getting specific plastic parts. As they were both mechanical engineers, they decided to solve the problem themselves, and Noble Plastics was born.

The company has thrived for over two decades since, with some clients and staff who have been around since the start. “The longevity of our clients, the

Consistency is key for everything Noble Plastics does. It’s one of the reasons the company stays on the leading edge of technology. All 18 of Noble’s manufacturing cells are robotically integrated with FANUC robots, and a growing sector of the business involves designing and building robotic systems for others. “Automation, for us, has never been about headcount reduction or having fewer people in the workplace,” Rogers says. “It’s about process consistency.”

Technology and teams work hand in hand at Noble. Teams undergo extensive training to utilize the newest software, perform quality inspections and prioritize work that matters for “parts that matter,” which is how Rogers sums up the things made at Noble Plastics. With products ranging in size from as big as 40 inches to as small as a person’s pinky nail, Noble’s

services have been implemented in the energy sector, the defense industry and more. Noble might manufacture just one piece in a medical device or one part under the hood of a machine, but that one piece is an important component for functionality and safety.

A lot of Noble’s work focuses on providing safer, lighter and more costeffective products for the military. “It’s very personal for us,” Rogers says. “We hire a lot of veterans. Our families are largely military families.”

Making things personal is something Rogers views as a strength. She’s always proud when clients commend Noble’s brand of Louisiana service. She credits much of Noble’s success to its unique location, core values and consistent, quality service. “I want to give people a good product when I say I’m going to do it,” Rogers says. “It is a Noble idea.”

DO WHAT YOU SAY YOU’RE GOING TO DO. CARE ABOUT GETTING IT RIGHT. HELP PEOPLE SUCCEED.

The production team at Noble Plastics

Right: Noble Plastics’ shop floor contains a wide range of advanced injection molding machines and FANUC robots.

Large Manufacturer of the Year MID SOUTH EXTRUSION, INC.

MID SOUTH EXTRUSION, INC.

helps make a fundamental part of nearly every consumer experience: packaging.

Located in Monroe, the family-owned business specializes in manufacturing innovative flexible films that are used to package a variety of goods across a variety of industries.

Mark Kent Anderson Jr. is a thirdgeneration member of the Mid South Extrusion, Inc. family and currently serves as the executive vice president of sales and marketing. He says that odds are, something in your house benefitted from Mid South Extrusion, Inc.’s plastic. “We make products that protect your products,”

Anderson says.

Mid South Extrusion, Inc.’s core market is the comfort industry. Mid South Extrusion, Inc. plastic wraps mattresses from companies like Serta Simmons Bedding and carpet rolls from businesses like Shaw Floors.

A growing part of Mid South Extrusion, Inc.’s business involves food packaging. The company’s plastic holds 12-packs of water bottles and canned goods together. The company’s packaging film is used in potato sacks and produce bags. If you’re opening a bag of frozen fried chicken, you’re likely opening Mid South Extrusion, Inc.’s plastic, and if you’re

using a Member’s Mark napkin, it came in a bag made from Mid South Extrusion, Inc.’s film, too.

With nearly no product too big or small, the packaging film made at the company can be applied in numerous settings. Its plastic has even wrapped items like boats, HVAC units and tanks for the military.

Located right off I-20, the firm is in an advantageous spot for shipping and sourcing. The company sources its raw materials from petrochemical companies along the Gulf and ships to customers across the country.

Since its founding in 1986, the company has grown from a handful

Mid South Extrusion Inc.’s Monroe facilities Below:

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of employees to more than 200. The company recently increased its warehouse and production capacities by expanding its campus to 350,000 square feet and adding a 12th production line.

“Our goal in Monroe and northeast Louisiana is to continue to grow here,” Anderson says. “We love where we’re situated.”

The Mid South Extrusion, Inc. family makes a point to show their love by giving back to their community. As its headquarters is located right across the street from Barkdull Faulk Elementary School, the company often sponsors uniform and food drives for students. Every Christmas, employees help the school put on a party, complete with Santa and gifts.

Anderson said Mid South Extrusion, Inc. likes to do everything it can to support Monroe and the state. “We believe in the future of Louisiana,” he says. “And we want to be a small part of seeing Louisiana prosper for years to come.”

the Mid South Extrusion, Inc. production facilities

Businessperson of the Year BRYAN HANKS, BETA LAND SERVICES

CARBON CAPTURE

and sequestration was a hot-button issue in Louisiana’s 2023 Legislative Session, and Bryan Hanks played a pivotal role in helping legislators understand how such projects could benefit the state.

“It’s something that we felt—and I felt—personally compelled to defend,” Hanks says.

Hanks’ testimony before the Legislature helped carbon capture legislation move forward despite a number of bills designed to block the carbon capture path. And when he talked, lawmakers listened, thanks to the wealth of experience he drew upon as a Certified Professional Landman with 43 years on the job.

Since 2003, Hanks has owned BETA Land Services, a company he founded in his hometown of Lafayette that specializes

in title research, lease acquisition, due diligence and more. The core of BETA Land Services lies in oil and gas, but with renewable energy BETA has also become involved in wind and solar agreements and carbon sequestration.

Hanks is no stranger to being at the forefront of new—and politically controversial—ideas in the energy industry. In his testimony, Hanks leveraged his decades of experience by drawing parallels between carbon sequestration and his work on horizontal drilling during the Shale Revolution. As the current chairman of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Board of Trustees, Hanks likes to focus his arguments on scientific evidence and education.

Carbon capture and sequestration legislation moved forward significantly in Louisiana in 2023. Louisiana became one

of three states to be granted primacy over carbon sequestration wells.

“We just need to seize this,” Hanks says. “This is our next generation. This industry could create jobs to keep our young professionals and our young graduates, at every level—college, twoyear community college, high school, everybody—here.”

Throughout his experience, Hanks says he has observed a work ethic, knowledge and passion from Louisiana landmen that is hard to match. He looks forward to seeing and helping Louisiana leverage its geology, geography and workforce to once again be a global energy leader. “It’s Louisiana’s position to do that,” he says. “Shame on us if we don’t take advantage of it.”

Hanks’ own energy and passion leads him in his work at BETA and keeps him

Above: At the 2024 Washington, D.C. Mardi Gras celebration in January, Hanks (second from right) introduced Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (center) to First Solar executives as well as officials from Iberia Parish and the University of Louisiana.

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busy after hours, too. If he has a chance to make positive impacts and mold Louisiana’s future, he’ll take it. Hanks is heavily involved in local organizations, like UL. He says he feels that one of his primary purposes is to keep all Louisiana universities working together and moving forward. He also serves as the chairman of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and sits on LABI’s Energy Council and Board.

“I’ve been placed in a position by God and others that I’ve been able to be successful, and it’s my opportunity to help as many people as I can,” Hanks says. “That’s what I truly believe.”

Hanks (third from right) took part in a ceremony honoring Governor Jeff Landry and first lady Sharon Landry as graduates of the University of Louisiana as part of the 2024 Washington, D.C. Mardi Gras festivities.

Young Businessperson of the Year DILLAN RIDER, RSG WHOLESALE

THE STORY of how RSG Wholesale came to be is one of unforeseen circumstances and opportunities.

Now one of the largest law enforcement distributors of firearms, ammunition and body armor in the United States, the business began simply as a way to make some extra cash. Dillan Rider, a high school baseball coach, was preparing his team for the 2020 season and preparing himself for the birth of his daughter. When his daughter was born three months premature, her lengthy hospital stay came with a lot of bills.

Rider decided the time was right to get his Federal Firearms License. As a hunting enthusiast with a passion for entrepreneurship, obtaining an FFL was always a goal of his, and he figured he’d use it to start a sporting goods business. But with the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing, his original business plan took off in an unexpected direction.

The Allen Parish Sheriff’s Office was

experiencing supply chain issues. The department needed ammo, and it reached out to Rider, an Allen Parish native, to help. Soon, Rider was selling firearms and equipment to sheriff’s offices in several parishes in southwest Louisiana, and RSG Wholesale, as it is known today, was born.

Rider, now 29 years old, presides over what has since become a one-stop shop for many different law enforcement needs. Based in southwest Louisiana, RSG Wholesale sells equipment to local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in 28 states.

Typically, distributors specialize in firearms, body armor or ammunition, but Rider decided to streamline the process and sell all of the above, as well as other gear, like optics and lights. To make that happen, RSG Wholesale partners with manufacturers like Stag Arms and United Shield International.

To further stand out in a rather impersonal industry, Rider built his

business model around customer service. He makes a point to spend time with all his clients, and the visits have given him some unique chances to make a difference.

One of Rider’s proudest accomplishments is securing a partnership where rural departments with budget constraints can trade in old weapons. Through this initiative, RSG Wholesale secured 21 new rifles for the Morehouse Parish Sheriff’s Office at no out-of-pocket cost.

“My heart is really in those rural communities,” Rider says.

Born and raised in the rural Louisiana community of Oberlin, Rider attributes his commitment and business philosophy to his upbringing.

“Personal relationships are really the backbone of our business,” Rider says. “Growing up in a small town, you appreciate those relationships. There’s no way we would be where we are now without the support of some really incredible people we’ve met along the way.”

Above: Rider’s daughter Zoey Kate tags along to a trade show.

Rider (center) at the 2023 NTOA Law Enforcement Operations Conference and Trade Show.

Rider at the headquarters of Stag Arms in Cheyenne, Wyoming

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Workforce Innovator of the Year ISC CONSTRUCTORS

IT IS SAID that innovators shape the future by developing new ideas, practices and products. ISC Constructors, a Baton Rouge-based firm that has been innovating since 1989, takes it one step further: it shapes the future by developing people.

For nearly 35 years, ISC has provided industrial engineering, construction and maintenance work to manufacturers across the country. The company currently employs some 1,500 people in the Capital Region alone—along with thousands more in other locations—but the company is always looking forward to the workforce of the future.

“We’re big believers in getting in front of classrooms, getting in front of students, getting in front of teachers, and getting in front of the people who set kids on a path to pursue a career,” says Rod Remondet, ISC’s managing director of safety, quality and people.

Remondet has a hand in ISC’s workforce development programs, including the Boots on the Ground initiative. Boots on the Ground began as a spin on military recruiting, and it’s the workforce

development strategy that gets members of the ISC team out of the office and into high schools, technical colleges and universities. The program is heavily engaged throughout the River Parishes, with plans to spread into more rural areas of the western and northern portions of the state.

“We’re probably never going to give up that physical, in-person contact,” Remondet says. “We do hands-on things. We’ll let people touch the wire, bend tubing, bend conduit to really see what the trade is.”

It’s an approach that works, Remondet says. Sometimes the outreach works quickly, with young people entering construction right out of school, and sometimes it plants a seed that takes a bit longer to grow. Remondet notes that it’s not unusual to see people in their late 20s and early 30s make a career switch to construction. He’s seen it happen with a variety of people, from kinesiology majors to English teachers.

“We’re very, very open to that,” he says. “And we’re prepared to manage that.”

ISC dedicates 20 cents of every work hour to training. By engaging in a National

Training Service Agreement through the National Center for Construction Education and Research, that financial commitment is solidified in support of workforce development efforts and craft training.

ISC’s workforce development team is equipped with a lab to allow potential employees to explore instrumentation and electrical work. Recruiters prepare construction hopefuls to eliminate the shock of the first day on the job, and ISC’s apprenticeship program ensures first-timers have training resources and supervision for four years, with either field evaluations or biannual apprenticeship testing.

Such a commitment to the core value of workforce development creates a strong, two-way appreciation between an employer and employees. On one hand, ISC can provide trusted and experienced teams for every job. On the other hand, employees can retain skills and certifications that will lead to future opportunities and eventual retirement.

“There’s so much gratitude,” Remondet says. “When we give, they’re willing to give back, too.”

ISC was part of a large chemical expansion project at ExxonMobil in Baytown, Texas.

Right: Recruiting events allow potential employees to get a handson feel for the jobs ISC offers.

The 63,000-square-foot Regional Training Center on the campus of SOWELA Technical Community College in Lake Charles is designed to help train a larger skilled workforce for the region.

Economic Development Partner of the Year CHAMBER

SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA

IN SOUTHWEST

Louisiana, you’ll find industry that is bustling and diverse.

From liquefied natural gas to aviation to agriculture and forestry, the region’s major economic sectors reflect the resources and culture of a five-parish area. Across Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron and Jefferson Davis parishes, you’ll find individuals employed by these industries and more, as the area boasts five casinos, multiple medical facilities and its own rum distillery.

Chamber Southwest Louisiana is the force behind the scenes that serves the region’s existing industry, recruits new businesses and promotes economic growth.

“Somebody has to be the advocate for the business community, and that’s what we do,” says George Swift, the founding president and CEO of the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance. The alliance is an umbrella organization that works with the region’s business community and includes Chamber SWLA.

With nearly two decades of service, Swift has seen the crucial ways Chamber SWLA has helped Southwest Louisiana thrive. He was there in 2006, when Southwest Louisiana was reeling from the effects of Hurricane Rita. Small businesses needed support, so Chamber SWLA presented the idea of a business incubator. That mixeduse business incubator blossomed into the SEED Center, a large facility at McNeese State University that offers entrepreneurial resources.

Following hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2020, Swift saw the SEED Center become the hub for business recovery. Over 950 small business owners used the technology and meeting rooms at the SEED Center to meet with Small Business Association counselors.

In times of recovery and stability, Chamber SWLA keeps a steady presence at the legislatures in Baton Rouge and Washington, D.C. The chamber was instrumental in forming the task force that

pushed for the new I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge. The bridge plan received contract approval from a Louisiana legislative committee in January.

Chamber SWLA is heavily involved across all aspects of community development. Nearly 1,000 individuals have completed the chamber’s Leadership SWLA program. And on any given day, the chamber’s staff might attend ribbon cutting ceremonies for new businesses.

Swift says he attended well over 100 ribbon cuttings in 2023 alone.

With more than 1,200 members, Chamber SWLA is one of the largest organizations of its kind in the state. Chamber SWLA is five-star accredited by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the highest national distinction.

Swift says the recognition is rewarding, especially for the chamber’s 14-person staff, but the work to create and maintain a quality community never ends. “It’s nice to be recognized, but we got to keep going,” Swift says. “We can’t rest on an award.”

Left: The SEED Center at McNeese State University houses the area’s only small and emerging business incubator.

Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance president and CEO George Swift

NOVEMBER 20, 2024

RENAISSANCE HOTEL, BATON ROUGE

We are now accepting entries or nominations for our 2024 LABI Business Excellence Awards. Every year, LABI honors outstanding companies and businesspeople who are making a difference in our state and in their communities. These are amazing entrepreneurs, executives and organizations dedicated to making Louisiana a better place to live and work. Join us as we celebrate these visionaries at our award ceremony in November.

NOMINATE A BUSINESS TODAY AT LABI.ORG/NOMINATE-A-BUSINESS

ROCK & ROLL

BY MARIAH HERNANDEZ

Louisiana readies itself for a solid CCS future

IT TAKES A BIT of explaining.

Already a mouthful, the name carbon capture and sequestration doesn’t roll off the tongue or immediately conjure an obvious definition. But understanding CCS is paramount for citizens of Louisiana right now: It’s the process in which carbon emissions are disposed of safely. Why does this matter to our state? It matters because Louisiana is sitting on a gold mine—or in our case, depleted oil and gas reservoirs and deep saline aquifers—which can serve as potential storage sites for captured carbon dioxide. And in this world of fighting climate change and reducing the human carbon footprint, Louisiana is poised to be a frontrunner for storage.

Though CCS technology has been around since the 1970s, prior to

the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), CCS projects were far too expensive to be viable investments. However, a handful of key policy initiatives and incentives enacted at the federal level have turned carbon capture into a critical investment for the energy industry—one that could generate $90 billion globally over the next 10 years.

Addressing the cost component of carbon capture is important to note when discussing the advantage of federal tax credits to stimulate growth of this technology. As with any business investment, access to capital is key to scaling. Carbon capture and storage is incredibly expensive, and tax incentives drive down costs for companies seeking to make their mark in this space.

As a major global energy producer,

Louisiana supports more than 260,000 jobs and $200 billion in annual exports. Consequently, our state has the seventh highest CO2 emissions in the country, with about 60 percent coming from the industrial sector, according to the Regional Carbon Capture Deployment Initiative. Because of the prevalence of industry in Louisiana, our state is well-positioned to deploy CCS projects more quickly and efficiently than other states. Louisiana boasts solid pipeline infrastructure, established supply chains and a highly trained, highly skilled workforce wellversed in the operational and maintenance mechanics needed to catalyze investment in innovative emission reduction technologies such as carbon capture.

Energy production and exports are

The Drax Power Station in the North Yorkshire, UK is an example of a plant with biomass storage tanks and carbon capture capabilities.

part of a global market. As countries— and companies—around the world commit to net-zero emissions, the free market dictates that we must meet the demand for cleaner energy. That’s why CCS projects are critical for Louisiana to capture, especially if we want to preserve our spot as a leader in the global energy market.

The financial and economic benefits of capitalizing on CCS are hard to ignore. Studies have shown that deploying carbon capture projects in Louisiana could add up to 4,000 permanent jobs annually over the next 15 years, with many jobs paying between $80,000 and $90,000 a year. Additionally, the industry would create between 1,700 and 2,500 jobs a year to retrofit and operate existing CCS infrastructure, according to the Consumer Energy Alliance. This stimulates growth for emerging businesses all along the CCS value chain as more companies add carbon management to their portfolio. All of this job creation generates income and revenue that contributes to a

healthy state and local economy—in addition to funding key community priorities like childcare facilities and infrastructure projects.

The economic boon aside, carbon capture investment infuses sustainability into an industry that is integral to our communities, especially as global demand shifts more toward cleaner energy. Bringing it back around to the market principle of supply and demand, if Louisiana does not transition to cleaner energy with the rest of the world, not only will we lose our competitive advantage, but thousands of Louisianans may lose good paying jobs in the oil and gas and supporting industries.

An existing statutory and regulatory framework equips Louisiana to move quickly to add CCS to the state’s energy portfolio, but there remains work to be done to kickstart the industry. While a few proactive policies came up this session, policy has been largely focused on ensuring anti-carbon capture legislation is not

signed into law—but a few bills help set up regulatory frameworks for issues like eminent domain. Blocking CCS prohibitions and limitations is crucial to signal confidence in the industry which drives increased investment as neighboring states are chomping at the bit to lure carbon capture projects to their turf.

The energy industry has invested billions in strategies that reduce emissions, and CCS is another innovative technology to add to the toolbox in a world that is seeing a rapid paradigm shift toward cleaner energy. In order to sustain the oil and gas industry that is the bedrock of our state’s economy and entrenched in our culture and communities, it is imperative that Louisiana play the essential role of leader in the carbon capture and storage sector as the world aggressively increases emission-reduction goals.

It’s time to rock and roll. ■

Carbon

PRIME TIME

Louisiana is now streamlined to get projects moving fast

At the end of 2023, Louisiana was figuratively handed an industrial-size pair of scissors to slash through the red tape that has been stalling CCS projects. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted primacy—primary regulatory and enforcement responsibility—to Louisiana, meaning that CCS permitting in the state no longer must go through the EPA for approval. Primacy streamlines a complex process to facilitate CCS projects while avoiding a backlog of applications at the EPA—which can take two years or longer for project approval.

This is a major win for Louisiana energy.

Louisiana is one of three states to be granted primacy so far, joining Wyoming and North Dakota. This is yet another reason the state is a prime candidate for CCS investment. Other states are jockeying for primacy as CCS proves to be a viable and sustainable transition for the energy industry. Texas and Arizona are hot on our heels in attempting to take the reins for CCS enforcement authority, so it’s critical Louisiana maximizes its competitive advantage before the competition catches up.

Being granted primacy is no simple feat. To be approved by the EPA to regulate Class VI wells, states must undergo a rigorous process demonstrating their ability to evaluate projects and administer the Class VI program while

adhering to environmental compliance standards agreed upon by the EPA and the state.

That means: Louisiana is checking all the boxes that require extensive geologic and engineering assessments to determine if a site is appropriate for the safe storage of CO2. The regulatory process is in place. Proposed Class VI projects are waiting in the wings. Stay tuned to see how primacy helps speed this new process into action.

COURTSESY

Education

DEEP DIVE

The Business Case for a Strong Accountability Framework

BY MARIAH HERNANDEZ

This year, the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE), has undergone a rigorous evaluation of the current state accountability formula. The new proposed formula lays out the expectations for students, teachers and schools to ensure we are preparing kids for life after graduation and fairly evaluating teachers and schools by those results.

WHY IS THIS NEEDED?

The current framework for education accountability was passed in 2017, and over the last decade has proven to be problematic on many levels. The most severe issue is a failure to fairly emphasize workforce and college readiness. Given the workforce shortage employers are currently facing, the timing has never been more critical to address how we are evaluating our state’s educational system.

The existing accountability formula is complex and difficult for even the most seasoned educators to understand, let alone the general public. The accountability formula should provide clarity while accounting for meaningful growth in student outcomes, placing an emphasis on college and career readiness. LABI believes this new formula is the ticket.

WHY IS BUSINESS INVESTED IN SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY?

While educational accountability is important for everyone—whether you have a schoolaged child or not—educators, businesses, and the public as a whole all feel the impact and reap the benefits of a sound accountability system. It affects the success of our communities. High-quality teachers and schools produce skilled, high-quality workers, of which our state is currently lacking, having a domino effect of negative economic impacts felt across the entire state.

Louisiana businesses rely on a skilled, qualified workforce to grow, which supports our state’s economy. Ensuring our students have the foundational knowledge and skills to succeed in the modern job market is paramount for businesses to succeed. Currently, companies are facing a shortage of employees who meet minimum competencies for employment—things we take for granted like the ability to read and write.

Business is invested in strengthening the talent pipeline in order to compete, much like Louisiana must compete with other states for business investment. All of these inputs affect outcomes for our state, from our business ranking to our ranking in out-migration— which is currently the second highest in the country.

Maintaining the integrity of the accountability formula while making it simpler and more reflective of workforce development needs—while raising the bar for education—will allow Louisiana graduates to compete in a global job market.

WHAT’S CHANGING WITH THE NEW FORMULA?

The revisions to accountability will consist of a simple, 100-point grading scale that equally measures eleven foundational elements. It will reward student growth, proficiency, and college or career readiness. If adopted, the new accountability standards will place special emphasis on growth of the lowest achieving students, in addition to measuring proficiency in math and English. It will account for students graduating on time and readiness to move to the next level—be that post-secondary education or entering the workforce.

Without ensuring core competencies, we are sending kids out into the workforce and the world lacking the skills they need to fulfill the American dream, thereby removing their chances for upward mobility and long-term success. We are sending students into the job market with a piece of paper that does not hold muster compared to those carried by a student from Florida, from Texas, or from Utah, knocking them out of the running for jobs across the country before they even get a foot in the door.

The importance of new accountability standards cannot be overstated. We must accurately and fairly evaluate performances or we will continue to be in the bottom 10 states for education. Louisiana students are counting on us. The future workforce is counting on us. The state’s economy is counting on us. And these new standards will pave the way to a better educational outcome for all students in Louisiana. 

Grow: Students growing in math and English, with special attention paid to the lowest achieving students

Achieve: Students who are proficient in math, English, science, and social studies

Thrive: Students graduate on time, show readiness on a nationally recognized exam, prepared to accelerate

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5TH & MAIN

The issues that matter to Louisiana’s businesses are rapidly changing. Here’s what the experts say the next year may hold.

LABI’s LA Driven movement tackles workforce readiness at the high school level

hen Juan Garcia Cordona walks across the graduation stage, he’ll exit with much more than his Tara High School diploma. The Baton Rouge senior enters the “real world” with something just as precious and hard earned, a gold medal in HVAC.

“Oh, man, I was so happy, I was not expecting it,” says Cordona, who won the SkillsUSA statewide competition earlier this spring (think literary rally, but for skilled trades). “I started the competition, and I felt like I was at least getting second place. But when they read my name for gold, it was pretty amazing.”

Cordona has always been interested in skilled trades, working alongside his father on construction jobs. He was able to refine that interest and aptitude while in high school, spending part of his school days training at the East Baton Rouge Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC).

Cordona is headed to the SkillsUSA national championship in Atlanta this June. And he’s prepping in the best way possible—by working in the industry. “My teacher offered me a job in his own company. I’m working now for him, doing a house from scratch, ducts and everything. I’m getting good experience.”

Above: Tara High School student Juan Cordona won a statewide challenge for HVAC and is advancing to a national competition in this work-based skill. He already has a job secured in this capacity after he graduates.

Cordona’s opportunity is another type of gold altogether–getting real world experience from the start. It’s the kind of experience that can’t be replicated in a classroom and, until now, wasn’t part of a high school’s accountability scores— meaning it didn’t factor into how a school was valued. Even for a school producing highly employable graduates like Cordona, who, by the way, also earned a Platinum score on his ACT WorkKeys assessment–one more “proof of skill” for his already impressive resume.

State Education Superintendent Cade Brumley is changing that valuation.

“I really see this as twofold,” says Brumley. “I see it as internships and apprenticeships, and I think that Louisiana is poised to be a national leader in this space.”

Brumley says the education community has an opportunity–and an obligation–to help students be better prepared for the day after high school–whatever that day brings. The problem is, until now, that preparation has largely been geared toward college only, to the detriment of our talent pool of skilled professional tradesmen.

“Certainly, we need students to go into universities, but there are also so many valuable jobs, necessary jobs, highwage jobs,” he says. “Unfortunately, our accountability system in the state of Louisiana has not recognized internships or apprenticeships at all, until most recently. I was able to make a

WHAT’S NEXT

Specifically, one recommendation in the work readiness focus area calls for every high school student in Louisiana to be offered a relevant, paid internship opportunity. Another says Louisiana should build a statewide pre-apprenticeship program for high school students. Brumley’s team is implementing both of these, and he’s calling on businesses to help.

“I’m quite bullish on this, and I just believe that we have to do this,” he says. “If we want Louisiana’s economy to thrive, then our students need to graduate high school prepared. But they also need some set of experiences before that graduation date so they’re ready to take the next step.”

For Cordona, the next step was participating in CTEC and engaging in hands-on experiences that taught him valuable skills. It also helped him secure a job doing HVAC in the construction of a house. While many high school students are given little to no direction or encouragement, the internships and apprenticeships in real jobs would give them a chance at a brighter, higher paying future.

“I would ask business and industry to be open to conversations with their local school systems,” says Brumley. “Just say, ‘Hey, we recognize that the State Department of Education and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education are beginning to value and expect internships and apprenticeship opportunities. We want to partner with you, and we

recommendation to our board, for the first time in our state’s history, to value internships and apprenticeships.”

Improving work-ready skills for our students and adults is one of the major focuses of LA Driven, the movement to implement LABI’s LA23 Strategic Plan. The plan outlined a set of specific steps, or a roadmap for us to follow, in order to position Louisiana as an economic driver in the South and ultimately provide economic opportunity for all. The recommendations focused on ensuring our citizens were ready to seize job opportunities, that our state was ready to attract and expand job opportunities, that our tax and business climate allowed those opportunities to thrive, and lastly, that we address roadblocks to that success, like high insurance costs and crime rates.

Louisiana’s labor force is relatively stagnant compared with our neighbors in the southeast. According to the LA23 findings, Louisiana’s talent pool–one of the most critical resources to a strong economy–has grown only 5% in the last 25 years, compared with Florida at 47% and Texas at 50%. Clearly, it’s time to grow that talent pool through re-entry initiatives, upskilling older workers, and yes, training early. LABI is making good time on the road to success, working with legislators, the administration and more to implement the first set of the many recommendations in its LA23 Strategic Plan.

understand that there are certain barriers that have to be broken. We understand that there are logistics that must be worked through, but if we don’t start now, we’ll never get there.’”

Louisiana business men and women, now it’s your turn. While policy plays out at the Capitol, the private sector is being called on to help implement these workforce expansion measures. We need you to open your doors to opportunity. 

Students compete in the SkillsUSA national championship to win awards in everything from carpentry to automotive maintenance.

COURTESY

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EDUCATION

PLUGGED IN

Louisiana schools embrace new bandwidth

By Gary Perilloux

A

s Bryan MacDonald’s ed-tech firm, SchoolMint, trekked from Silicon Valley to Lafayette, Lindsay Smythe worked feverishly to launch a French immersion school in nearby Sunset, Louisiana: population, 3,200.

Their paths collided. Now, École Saint-Landry teaches more than 170 children in kindergarten through third grade. Giggles, raised hands, and conjugated French verbs fill the sanctuary and fellowship hall of the former Sunset Baptist Church.

Soon, all but the kindergartners and first-graders will move to now-vacant Sunset High School, a brick victim of consolidation. École Saint-Landry will grow to kindergarten plus eight grades over time. And francophone students will fill the halls of a once-proud century-old high school on the National Register of Historic Places.

In sum, the children of St. Landry Parish will have saved a national treasure.

WHAT’S NEW SUNSET

An unsung hero in the school’s success is SchoolMint, the education technology firm CEO MacDonald leads from the company’s headquarters in a refurbished 15,000-square-foot warehouse near downtown Lafayette. SchoolMint helps over 16,000 schools and districts attract, enroll and retain students. The company connects teachers, parents, administrators and more than 11 million students nationwide through robust technology platforms.

Yet École Saint-Landry is special to MacDonald, a former Apple executive and veteran of ed-tech firms redefining the frontier of technology in schools.

“The first thing we did was help them get found on Google,” he says of École Saint-Landry. Enrollment microsites, targeted social media campaigns and seamless smartphone enrollment apps followed—all supported by text messaging to parents and by tools tested in thousands of schools nationwide.

“It’s an incredibly diverse student population,” MacDonald says of Smythe’s school. “And now parents in Sunset have a choice. If they feel passionate about the Louisiana French culture, they now have a way to pick that for their kids.”

Smythe, the École Saint-Landry principal, estimates SchoolMint’s in-kind contributions to her school at $65,000. In reality, the firm’s tech-mentoring is priceless.

“It’s something that we could never have afforded. In those early years, their partnership was incredibly important,” Smythe says. Enrollment and parent communication were critical for growing the school, but SchoolMint’s integrated platform also freed Smythe and her office manager to serve students and teachers.

“SchoolMint allows us to just have more time in our ‘real’ jobs,” Smythe says.

COURTESY ÉCOLE SAINT-LANDRY

WHAT’S NEW CALCASIEU

If technology weaves a story for Louisiana’s schools, the common theme might be challenges and choices.

In 2023, the Louisiana Department of Education honored the Calcasieu Parish School Board as its Models of Excellence winner. The achievement was born of extraordinary challenges: The COVID pandemic arrived in early 2020, followed by two historic hurricanes in summer 2020, with the one-two punch leaving Calcasieu students away from their schools for as many as eight months. Enrollment plunged by 6,000 students to 26,000.

Hurricane recovery dollars eventually brought all schools online by 2021. And pandemic recovery funds helped the district provide an electronic device for every student. Yet smaller schools still didn’t have access to key stepping-stone classes for college.

Superintendent Shannon LaFargue served as the district’s chief academic officer in the 2021-22 school year when the Calcasieu Parish School Board launched a technology program to democratize learning across all 11 high schools. Some parents doubted VIP, thinking the Virtual Instruction Program might extend social deficits from the pandemic.

Screens full of headset-wearing students interact with teachers deploying eGlass lightboards and other media. More than 30 courses, some offering credit at SOWELA Technical Community College, range from calculus, human geography and composition to theater, criminal justice, biomedical science, computer science and physics.

Whatever the subject, one lesson is a constant. “No matter whether it’s face-to-face, virtual, a keyboard or a pencil, hard work is still involved,” LaFargue says. “Productive struggle is still a necessary component of academic achievement. It’s just a different mode that we work in.

The opposite occurred. Students embraced new relationships in online classes. Teachers on the brink of retirement rediscovered a passion for teaching a subject that animated their careers. Students invited their online teachers to attend sports games and other school events.

“And their teachers are going,” LaFargue says. “They’re all taking pictures and sending them out and posting.”

District technology veteran Doug DeVillier oversees the VIP hub of 14 teachers at the once-underutilized Lake Charles Boston Academy of Learning. Students who formerly lost valuable time busing to classes there now connect with VIP teachers from a facilitated classroom on their campus.

“At first, I was timid about taking virtual classes, but my teachers have made the transition exciting, interactive and welcoming,” says LaGrange High student Alexandria Achane. “I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity.”

“It really looks like a flight control center,” LaFargue says of the VIP hub. “Now we’re up to over 700 students enrolled in the program.”

Calcasieu Parish School Board Superintendent Shannon LaFargue

WHAT'S NEXT

Sari Factor thinks about learning modes constantly. A former math teacher, she’s the chief strategy officer for Arizona-based Imagine Learning. Like SchoolMint, the company holds major market share in K-12 education: 15 million students and 400,000 teachers nationwide, with 764 Louisiana schools as customers.

Instead of student enrollment, Imagine Learning focuses on instruction. Digital-first material on devices is supplemented by hands-on printed material. Looming over every Imagine Learning classroom now is the advance of artificial intelligence.

instruction allows teachers to view student progress, intervene when needed, and track everything instantly.

Digital coursework is powerful, Factor says. Along with fun ways to engage students in game-oriented learning, digital

Imagine Learning data remains private, in the hands of districts, teachers, parents and students.

AI, though, is bewildering many educators. Recent Imagine Learning surveys find K-8 teachers more likely than high school teachers to use generative AI in student assignments. Two out of three high school teachers don’t think their districts can manage the risk of older students deploying AI to take shortcuts on long-form assignments.

“Both of our surveys have illuminated the fact that district leaders are looking to their states, and the teachers are looking to the districts” for AI guidance, Factor says. “I think it’s going to be on the agenda in lots of legislatures this session.”

Only two state education departments, Oregon and California, have provided official AI guidance, according to an October 2023 Center on Reinventing Public Education study. Factor says Imagine Learning and its schools nationwide would benefit from consistency in AI use.

Schools need to guard against bias in AI models, she notes. That can include erroneous, web-based information unchecked by humans. Privacy and security guard rails are needed, too. But what districts should not do, Factor says, is write off AI.

The technology offers the potential of virtual tutors customized to individual student needs. Adapting similar AI technology, companies could discover early on which students are potential fits for aviation or engineering or research jobs.

“The question would be how do we drive equity of learning across all students,” Factor says, adding that “ed-tech” is becoming passé because technology is ubiquitous today. “It’s not ‘ed-tech,’ it’s education solutions and how do we drive the efficacy of solutions. That’s what we’re striving for.” 

The Calcasieu Parish School Board’s VIP hub connects students and teachers in more than 30 course offerings.

Imagine Learning chief strategy officer Sari Factor

With a robot mascot named Booster, Imagine Learning aims to keep kids engaged while tapping into the latest tech.

Officials say Louisiana’s energy future depends on it

By Gary Perilloux

Fifteen years ago, a new light illuminated Louisiana. The energy source circuited from Houma and Thibodaux through Baton Rouge, Hammond, the Northshore and on to New Orleans. Leaders called the light SoLA.

Shorthand for South Louisiana, SoLA summoned business, industry and government officials under the umbrella of the South Louisiana Economic Council, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber and Greater New Orleans Inc. They recognized an undeniable future truth: Places that thrive will do so as super-regions. They’ll conquer the world’s biggest challenges by working together.

Today, the region faces a huge challenge in its greatest asset: energy. Yet within that challenge lies a bright hope: hydrogen.

WHAT’S NEW

By 2022, SoLA watched greenhouse gas concerns collide with a new federal emphasis on climate. The region needed to produce clean energy not just for the climate’s sake, but for economic survival.

“We’ve actually lost more energy jobs than anyone else in the country over the last 20 years—over 22,000 jobs,” says GNO Inc. CEO Michael Hecht.

Galvanizing 25 partners, the Greater New Orleans Development Foundation broadened its SoLA base to include Acadiana and Southwest Louisiana. Their H2theFuture coalition landed a $50-million U.S. Economic Development Administration grant in late 2022, which was matched by $24.5 million more from the state of Louisiana.

The goal: take Louisiana’s hydrogen industry from legacy fossil fuels to carbon capture projects and renewable energy.

Offshore wind farms like this one off the coast of England could be part of the energy solution, creating “green” hydrogen that doesn’t rely on fossil fuels. In August 2023, RWE AG secured a wind lease area off the coast of Lake Charles through the U.S. Department of the Interior’s first Gulf of Mexico offshore wind lease auction.

WHAT'S NEXT

LSU’s 2024 Gulf Coast Energy Outlook shows a still-potent Louisiana sector. In the past decade, companies slated $144 billion in energy manufacturing investments for Louisiana. That’s more than half the $262 billion in projects scheduled for the entire Gulf Coast.

The outlook also reveals a dramatic shift. As recently as 2020, virtually no dollars were tabbed for “energy transition” projects, those aimed at lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Yet from 2023 through 2030, announced energy transition projects will top $47 billion in Louisiana, according to the LSU Center for Energy Studies. For Louisiana, that’s second only to $69 billion in liquefied natural gas projects along the coast.

The impact of energy transition will be felt everywhere—in how fuels are refined, chemicals are produced, plastics are manufactured, and fertilizers are formed. In those industries, federal tax credits will serve as carrots to decarbonize production.

For companies diverting carbon from the atmosphere—into storage, production or enhanced oil recovery—a Section 45Q tax credit offers up to $85 per metric ton, for up to 12 years. For hydrogen, Section 45V of the U.S. tax code provides a credit of up to $3 per kilogram of hydrogen produced over a 10-year window.

Congressional and private sources estimate the cost of the programs at between $30 billion and $100 billion for carbon capture, and potentially more than $100 billion for hydrogen.

The hydrogen priority stems from how it’s made. Today, 95% of hydrogen comes from steam-methane reforming. Methane, the main component of natural gas, lingers in the atmosphere for a shorter period (about 12 years) than carbon dioxide emissions, which persist for centuries. But methane traps heat in the atmosphere with a potency 80 times greater than CO2.

“Blue hydrogen” projects still using methane can qualify for either 45Q or 45V tax credits by capturing carbon. Green hydrogen projects don’t rely on fossil fuels. For Louisiana, the H2theFuture project envisions harnessing wind energy in the Gulf of Mexico, converting that electricity into onshore electrolysis (splitting hydrogen from water with electric current), and transporting hydrogen by pipeline to industrial customers who refine fuels and metals, or make methanol and fertilizers.

“In our view, the pathway would be a mix of green and blue (hydrogen), as much as the market can bear in South Louisiana,” says Lacy McManus, executive director of Future Energy at GNO Inc. “To get green hydrogen

to scale, we will ultimately need wind energy at full capacity in the Gulf.”

Getting there after 2030 could reduce industrial hydrogen emissions by about 70% while creating 15,000 new direct jobs and spawning 34,000 new indirect jobs. H2theFuture estimates 5,300 of the new direct energy jobs would go to minorities, with the grant creating a recruitment emphasis on inclusive training.

There are hurdles to getting there. Delays in oil-and-gas lease sales by the Biden administration also stymied wind leases in the Gulf. But RWE AG, a German offshore wind energy pioneer, secured the first Gulf wind lease in August 2023, about 75 miles south of Lake Charles. By the mid-2030s, that lease could yield enough electricity to power 350,000 homes.

H2theFuture already has assembled a database of more than 130 Louisiana businesses poised to service wind energy projects. And from Baton Rouge, BRAC is managing business development opportunities across Louisiana—matching investors to clean energy projects.

“In South Louisiana, our ecosystem is plants, it’s pipelines, it’s workforce for plants,” says Britt Bowker, BRAC’s director of recruitment. She sees H2theFuture projects unlocking Louisiana’s potential

California-based Monarch Energy proposed plans in 2023 to build a $426-million green hydrogen plant in Ascension Parish.

Greater New Orleans Inc. CEO Michael Hecht

for next-generation energy success. “This grant opened up doors. And it’s not just engineers and oil-and-gas people who will benefit. There are so many opportunities for people in this sector.”

Harnessing hydrogen and other clean energy opportunities means the billions in financial capital coming Louisiana’s way must be matched by major investment in human capital, McManus says.

“That to me is the most exciting part of this work,” she says. “The biggest challenge we have is making our upcoming generations more aware of the opportunities.” 

Source: Greater New Orleans Development Foundation

H2theFuture

A $50-million U.S. Economic Development Administration grant, coupled with a $24.5-million match from the state of Louisiana, produced H2theFuture in late 2022. The fiveyear grant funds the clean energy initiatives below through 26 industry and government partners in Louisiana:

H2Testbeds: Research of low-carbon hydrogen technologies at Nicholls State University, LSU, UL Lafayette and UNO

H2NeXus: A hub for clean energy innovation at UNO’s research park, The Beach

H2Manufacturing: A prototyping facility, next to H2NeXus, for companies and campus researchers to develop green hydrogen technology

H2BusinessDevelopment: Attracting business investment across the hydrogen value chain, with BRAC leading a partnership with One Acadiana, the South Louisiana Economic Council, the Southwest Louisiana Economic Alliance, and GNO Inc.

H2Workforce: Industry training led by the Louisiana Community & Technical College System

H2P3: A public-private partnership to produce the first-ever U.S. hydrogen fueling barge at the Port of South Louisiana

Lacy McManus, executive director of Future Energy at GNO Inc. Britt Bowker, director of recruitment for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber

THE QUIET

KILLER

Louisiana takes aim at cancer

By Gary Perilloux

ews stories of murder rivet audiences in Louisiana for tragic reasons. Louisiana’s homicide rate ranks worse than all but one state. Yet homicides aren’t remotely the state’s biggest health concern.

Each year, a quiet killer—cancer—claims nearly 10 times as many Louisiana lives. Were cancer deaths concentrated in one community, they’d wipe a city the size of Jennings off the map. New cancer cases emerge in Louisiana at a pace of about 26,000 per year.

Eager to lower Louisiana’s cancer burden, the Louisiana Cancer Research Center launched a nationwide search for a next-generation cancer leader: someone who could steer the state to a coveted designation from the National Cancer Institute, an $8-billion-per-year research engine.

The NCI quest would take them 4,200 miles beyond New Orleans.

LCRC director Joe Ramos welcomed first lady Jill Biden— along with U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell—to learn more about the center’s work in March 2023. “Cancer changes everyone it touches,” Biden said in a speech during her visit. “And in some ways, it touches us all.”

As director and CEO of the Louisiana Cancer Research Center, Dr. Joe Ramos is working to help the state secure its first National Cancer Institute designation, which could open the doors to better care. Ramos came to New Orleans from Hawaii, where he worked at a cancer center that has held the NCI-designated status for more than 25 years.

WHAT’S NEW

On May 6, 2022, Dr. Joe Ramos took a deep breath and looked at two extraordinary job offers on his Honolulu desk.

He could be the new permanent director of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, where he’d held every key leadership job while researching cancer-signaling and metastasis for 18 years. Or he could be director and CEO of the Louisiana Cancer Research Center in New Orleans.

Much to his daughter’s chagrin, he chose Louisiana.

“I remember it well,” Ramos reflects. “It was my daughter’s birthday. She was very upset that I decided to move from Hawaii on her birthday. She grew up there... For me, the decision-maker was to take my skill set and bring it to a place that really needed an NCI [National Cancer Institute] center badly. And Louisiana is a state that has some of the most desperate needs.”

By August 2022, then-Gov. John Bel Edwards and medical leaders rolled out the red carpet for Ramos. At the state-created LCRC—which had opened its $85-million, 10-floor research lab and administrative headquarters a decade earlier—Ramos preached the power of alignment in the war on cancer.

“NCI expects you to be responding strongly to the needs of the communities that you serve,” Ramos said at his 2022 introduction event. “Research programs and clinical trials: that’s the heart of NCI designation. … But then the community outreach and engagement and the education are the lifeblood.”

During a whirlwind first year, Ramos reported bold annual results from the Louisiana team that preceded him: 335 peer-reviewed articles published; a network of more than 200 cancer researchers who secured $14.6 million in NCI funding amid a larger universe of $31.6 million in cancer-related grants from NCI and its parent, the National Institutes of Health.

Louisiana’s cancer machinery was winding into high gear. Then a remarkable thing happened. The first lady of the United States came calling.

WHAT'S NEXT

When NCI awarded its highest honor for clinical trials and community research to Dr. Augusto Ochoa in 2022, Jill Biden learned about the Virtual Research Nurse Program designed by Ochoa and his LSU Health New Orleans team. Sensing a national cancer model, the first lady visited LCRC in March 2023 to learn how Louisiana reached patients from rural areas with the most advanced care offered by clinical trials.

A big leap forward occurred in 2018 when Ochoa and others formed the Gulf South Clinical Trials Network. With 50 sites from Shreveport to Gulfport, the network is part of NCI’s national Community Oncology Research Program. Partners include Ochsner Cancer Institute, Louisiana’s first NCI-funded program from the state’s largest health system; the LSU Feist-Weiller Cancer Center in Shreveport; and the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center’s 18 sites in Louisiana and southwest Mississippi. For Ramos, the NCI honor typified how the state can turn its cancer trend around.

“That’s the level of national attention that we are getting for the great work that we’re doing,” says Ramos, who sees “all these trends that we can weave together into a tapestry that is going to be our NCI designation.”

The first lady also came to celebrate the renewal of the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016 and its Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot. Over the next three fiscal years alone, NCI will receive an infusion of $3.4 billion in additional cancer research funds. The goal: cut the cancer death rate in half over the next 25 years.

Here’s why that quest in Louisiana hinges heavily on an NCI designation. By becoming an NCI Cancer Care Support Grant site, LCRC will join cancer centers whose faculties command $8 of every $10 in cancer research.

The core grant that comes with NCI designation opens the door to millions more in supplementary NCI grants and other sources, such as the private V Foundation that has granted the lion’s share of nearly $400 million to NCI-designated centers, Ramos says.

In June 2023, the University of Florida Health Cancer Center became NCI’s 72nd designated center in the U.S. Over six years, it doubled annual scientific publications to 746 and peer-reviewed research to $32.6 million to earn an initial NCI core grant of $2.1 million—opening the door to much more.

Five months later, LCRC announced LSU will make the formal NCI application for Louisiana—expected in about five years—with support from LCRC partners: LSU Health, LCMC

GETTING SOCIAL

Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center’s Jonas Fontenot

Health and Tulane. LSU Health and LCMC Health each committed $50 million to prevent, detect and treat cancer in Louisiana through a new LSU Health-LCMC Health Cancer Center.

Statewide collaboration is essential to combatting cancer more effectively, says Dr. Jonas Fontenot, a Crowley native and MD Anderson-educated medical physicist who serves as CEO of Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. The Baton Rouge-based nonprofit recently announced the acquisition of Shreveport-based MD Clinics and its nine cancer treatment sites in north and central Louisiana.

“This NCI-designation pursuit is great for Louisiana,” Fontenot says, citing the additional resources that cancer patients will reap. “We’re one of a handful of states that has no NCIdesignated centers within our borders. … And from an advocacy perspective, anytime there’s additional resources being put forward to advance cancer care, that’s a thing to celebrate and a thing to support.” 

Deaths in Louisiana: A Cancer Comparison

Sources: National Cancer Institute; CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, based upon 2021 data released Sept. 2023

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PHILLIP LEBLANC Durr Heavy Construction, LLC

TREY LEDET Gibbs Construction

MARISSA MANUEL Olivier Group

COULTER MCMAHEN Louisiana Auto Dealers Association

RIDGE MIGUEZ Miguez Fuel & Lubricants

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WORKFORCE

LABOR PAINS

Job challenge looms larger than ever, but with the right programs in place, Louisiana is poised to deliver the skilled employees its companies seek

By Gary Perilloux

WHAT’S NEW

Louisiana education and workforce agencies continue to hammer away at the workforce challenge. Those agencies include the Louisiana Workforce Commission, Board of Regents, the Department of Education, Louisiana Economic Development, and the Louisiana Community and Technical College System.

Newly appointed Louisiana Workforce Commission Secretary Susana Schowen has worked for three of them in the past dozen years. Like economists, she views Louisiana’s strong unemployment rate of 3.7% as tantamount to full employment. The bugaboo is Louisiana’s eyepopping labor force participation rate.

“Essentially, 41 percent of our workingage population is sitting on the sidelines of the economy,” Schowen says. At the end of 2023, labor force participation in Louisiana—the number

In the early months of 2024, Louisiana leaders continue to sift through data for the secret to workforce success. The search revolves around two perennial priorities: how Louisiana can best prepare the next generation of workers, and how the state’s employers can best find skilled people to satisfy their workplace needs.

of people working or actively seeking work, divided by the state’s working-age population—stood at 58.9%. That rate trails Texas (64.1%), Utah (69.3%), the District of Columbia (71.9%) and the U.S. (62.2%). Only Arkansas, New Mexico, Alabama, Kentucky, South Carolina, West Virginia and Mississippi trail Louisiana.

Plugging that gap with well-skilled employees ranks as job one for Schowen and her workforce partners. That will include strategic training but also removing social barriers for those who lack transportation, who face health challenges, or who need childcare.

Former LED Secretary Stephen Moret, who left Louisiana to lead economic development in Virginia, now serves as president and CEO of Strada Education Foundation. Based in Indianapolis, the national nonprofit focuses on smoothing the path from education to good jobs.

“In short, our labor market today too often isn’t working for employers or individuals,” Moret says. States that lead in workforce, Moret says, will produce clearer insights about specific training employers require for high-demand jobs.

What’s working well in Louisiana? LED FastStart, launched 15 years ago by Moret, ranks among the Top 5 U.S. custom workforce programs by both Area Development and Business Facilities magazines. TOPS Tech, an adjunct to the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students scholarship incentive, pays for up to two years of career-focused training through technical certificates and degrees. And in a stunning success story, Louisiana ranks No. 1 in the U.S. for the percentage of high school seniors (74.2%) who complete federal aid applications for college.

Louisiana Workforce Commission Secretary Susana Schowen notes that 7 out of 10 future jobs will require two years or less of postsecondary education.

WHAT'S NEXT

Programs like TOPS Tech and the MJ Foster Promise Program (which provides up to $6,400 for adults to earn highdemand job credentials) are critical to Louisiana’s workforce future. Three numbers explain why, Schowen says:

Future jobs will require just 1 of 10 workers to earn a master’s degree or more.

Bachelor’s degrees will be needed for 2 of every 10 future jobs.

In the future, 7 of every 10 jobs will require two years or less of postsecondary education.

States completing the 1:2:7 paradigm at a high level will be dressed for workforce success. For those seven jobs requiring technical skills, Louisiana took a critical step 25 years ago in creating LCTCS. Now, those community colleges, along with other higher education systems and K-12 schools, must hone their career preparation.

State agencies communicate constantly on workforce, Schowen says, and enthusiasm abounds for building a better workforce system. Yet silos still exist, and alignment with employer demand must improve.

Moret points to a program created by the Louisiana Legislature in 2023 as a harbinger of workforce success. The Louisiana Foundational Integrated Research System for Transformation (LA FIRST), funded with an initial $2 million, is housed in the Blanco Public Policy Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The initiative requires seven groups of state education, health, corrections, social services and workforce agencies to share data annually. LA FIRST then will optimize that information to show everyone in Louisiana the ideal training path for specific careers. That creates “clear outcomes,” one of five enablers of workforce success identified by Strada,

Moret says. The other four are:

• Quality coaching: Providing career coaches for students and adults, especially those from lower-income families with limited opportunity.

• Affordability: Building Louisiana’s talent pipeline with sustained programs like TOPS, TOPS Tech and the MJ Foster Promise Program that put career preparation within everyone’s reach.

• Work-based learning: Providing paid internships, apprenticeships and other workplace opportunities via school partnerships with employers.

• Employer alignment: Delivering performance-based funding for costlier programs at schools that successfully gird students for highwage careers.

“One of Louisiana’s greatest opportunities for the long-term future would be to develop an integrated master plan for economic development, workforce development and higher education,” Moret says. A more nuanced workforce approach is necessary in today’s environment, where one in two bachelor-degree graduates start out underemployed, he adds.

Underemployment is holding Louisiana’s workforce back, Schowen agrees. “If we can’t move those [underemployed] folks up, we aren’t opening up the entry-level jobs to get those new entrants into the labor market in their first job, so that they can establish themselves,” she says. “One of the things that I want to be able to do in this role is focus specifically on increasing the labor force participation rate in Louisiana

and look at models of integrated social services to help us get there.”

Louisiana’s workforce will thrive when education, employment, social services and economic development systems fully synchronize their efforts, Schowen says. Social impact jobs that undergird quality of life—healthcare, education, police, firefighters—will be well-staffed. So will highly skilled trades and math-intensive fields like engineering. Classrooms will feel more like the workplace. Education will be embedded in work.

“All of those things really are about human development and helping people participate fully in a thriving economy,” Schowen says. “Looking 20 years out, if those systems are working, they’ll allow our people to develop in a direction where they find rewarding and family-sustaining work. Our employers will have access to world-class talent

and be able to grow and respond to opportunities created by the changes we know are coming.”

One thing that Schowen says should not change is Louisiana’s commitment to protect its unique culture, which beckons new out-of-state workers and lures Louisiana natives elsewhere to boomerang home.

In Moret’s view, Louisiana can best fulfill its workforce future by investing in all five enablers of workforce opportunity.

“Louisiana should seek to pursue a talent-centric economic development strategy, with strong alignment of workforce development programs and higher education,” he says. “No state has yet fully delivered on these five enablers of opportunity. That means there is an opening for proactive leadership.”

Moret

ROAD

less traveled

Kenworth of Louisiana co-founder Jodie Teuton steers the truck dealership group to success

Among her many accolades, Teuton was named the first recipient of the Kenworth Industry Impact Award in 2020. The award honors outstanding leaders in the company’s dealer network who have had a significant impact on the broader trucking industry.

BY EMILY KERN HEBERT

PHOTOS BY COLLIN RICHIE

JODIE TEUTON has been around the dealership business since she was a child. Her first job in middle school was on the wash rack at a family business, Southland Dodge in Houma, and she spent her early years working in the parts department and as a receptionist and service writer.

“I was raised to be helpful with a sense of responsibility to my family,” she says.

Today, Teuton is proud to continue her legacy as a truck dealer. She and her husband, Scott Oliphant, are dealer principals at Kenworth of Louisiana, which has locations in in Gray, Harahan, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, Port Allen and Shreveport. An eighth dealership in Hammond is planned to open soon.

In 2018, Teuton became the first woman to be elected chair of American Truck Dealers, and she currently represents Kenworth dealers as the ATD line representative. In 2020, Teuton was honored with the “Influential Woman in Trucking” award presented by the Women in Trucking Association.

“I’m a truck dealer who just happens to be a woman,” she says. “Thinking of yourself as different instead of looking for common ground will make it harder.”

After high school, Teuton earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Nicholls State University. She went on to earn a law degree from Loyola University, hoping that a legal background would be helpful in the

family business while also seeking workplace equity. “Women’s equality was not where it is today in the 1980s,” she says. “We have come a long way.”

After several years of practicing law, Teuton transitioned her professional career to the retail auto and truck business in 1997. A perk of working in the family business was that Teuton could bring her daughter Victoria to the office with her. Teuton recalls returning to work when Victoria was an infant and having her nap under Teuton’s desk in a baby carrier. Teuton says she was also fortunate to have her own mother and mother-in-law close by to help with childcare, emphasizing that it often takes other unrecognized women to support a mother’s career path.

In 2004, Teuton and her husband purchased the Kenworth truck franchise. Becoming new owners shortly before the devastation of Hurricane Katrina led to unexpected challenges and opportunities for the couple. The business grew steadily over the years.

Today, Kenworth of Louisiana employs more than 380 people. Despite significant growth, Teuton says she and her husband still think like a small business when it comes to treating employees like family.

“We want to keep it that way,” she says.

Day to day, Teuton’s tasks range from high- to low-level responsibilities. “I am a problem solver, a confidant, a cheerleader and a mom,” Teuton says. “I’m also a founder, a janitor, a hostess, a recruiter and an accountant.”

While she says she feels blessed to have been recognized for her accomplishments over the years, she tries to use the occasions to shine a light on the opportunities available for women in the trucking industry.

“If women see other women in nontraditional careers, then they can imagine it as their possibility,” she says.

“Our industry is incredibly welcoming,” Teuton adds. “The opportunities are unlimited. We want financial equality, which can come from stepping outside of traditional jobs that often don’t pay as well. This industry is secure and offers income parity.”

From her involvement with American Truck Dealers, a division of the National Auto Dealers Association, she has heard from other dealers who are considering future leadership. “I’ve had more than one tell me, ‘I’ve changed my mind and chosen my daughter. I just needed to see somebody doing it,’” Teuton says. “It’s good to help open minds.”

Teuton’s love for the trucking industry runs deep. “Trucks touch everything,” she says. “Everything is brought by a truck. We take that for granted.”

This concept was especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, she notes. When almost everything else shut down, trucks were essential, and dealerships kept their doors open as well.

“I’m so proud to be part of this,” she says. “Why did I choose it? Because my legacy was a gift.” ■

Kenworth of Louisiana caters to the commercial truck industry with seven facilities offering not just trucks but also trailers, forklifts and more. The company also has its own custom fabrication facility to create tailored accessories for its customers, and it provides service for commercial trucks, buses, diesel engines and more.

THE CROP Cream of

Louisiana Farm Bureau’s new headquarters in Baton Rouge embodies the organization’s agricultural roots and growth mindset

BY KELLI BOZEMAN

IT’S ONLY FITTING that the site chosen for the new headquarters of Louisiana Farm Bureau is a place where cattle once grazed.

Though it’s hard to imagine today while zooming down Corporate Boulevard in Baton Rouge, this area was once farmland as far as the eye could see. Perhaps that’s why the state’s largest general agricultural organization seems to fit right in in this environment, with its contemporary building design tempered by bucolic touches that would make any farmer feel at home.

Louisiana Farm Bureau broke ground on its previous headquarters on Airline Highway back in 1963, and the building was expanded in 1968 and again in the 1980s, says Kyle McCann, assistant to the president. Most of its Federation and Insurance employees operated out of that building, though steady growth over the years brought about the need for a second location for some claims department employees off Bluebonnet Boulevard. After more than a half-century in its original headquarters, the seeds were planted for a more suitable site for the entire group.

“The vision was to find a long-term home for Louisiana Farm Bureau that would feel more cohesive, rather than a building completed in parts,” McCann says. “The main goal was to move all employees into one location and bring together departments that work closely together.”

The organization’s leaders called upon Grace Hebert Curtis Architects to design the new headquarters and Arkel Constructors to serve as contractor. The new

Pictured: Grace Hebert Curtis Architects designed Louisiana Farm Bureau’s new headquarters, with construction managed by Arkel Constructors. “Each day when I come into the office, I’m impressed by what they designed and made a reality,” says Kyle McCann, assistant to the president. “They really understood what we are as an organization, designed the ideal place for us to continue our mission and brought to life a home for the next 100 years of Louisiana Farm Bureau.”

Right: This board room and numerous other conference rooms within the building are geared to foster communication among industry leaders, legislators and farmers. The space is equipped with special acoustics and lighting to optimize livestreaming of meetings.

85,000-square-foot space officially welcomed employees in August 2022—coinciding with the year of Louisiana Farm Bureau’s 100th anniversary—and today some 220 employees call this space their homebase.

Efficiency was a major goal of the new construction. “For example, Federation employees were spread out over three floors at the Airline location,” McCann says. “Now, all Federation employees are housed on the third floor of the new building, and departments that frequently work together are placed adjacent to each other.”

But aesthetics were also an important part of the vision; the architects note that the building’s design was intended to visually communicate Louisiana Farm Bureau’s purpose as well as its organizational values. “Louisiana Farm Bureau is an agricultural organization,” echoes McCann. “To that end, GHC used inspiration from farm scenes in the design of the building.”

Updated agrarian design elements are found all around the three-story space. Corrugated panels between windows and in the lobby stairway were inspired by grain bins found on farms. Stone walls on the exterior of the first floor are built to look like stone fences. And living walls add a feeling of nature on each floor.

Even the surrounding 7.5-acre property was landscaped to evoke the feel of pastures where cattle might graze,

Pictured: The two-story main lobby gives an immediate first impression of the organization’s agricultural focus.

Left: A nature-inspired tall corrugated metal and wood art piece was tucked behind the open wood-paneled staircase for a striking lobby focal point. “It draws from the agrarian history of the organization to mix the old with the new,” says McCann.

The employee café includes charging stations for mobile devices, along with video screens and a full speaker system for special events. A self-serve vendor kiosk offers snacks, drinks and sandwiches.

The in-house broadcasting studio serves as the set for This Week in Louisiana Agriculture.

just as they did here decades ago. A wildflower garden was planted on one side of the building, with a reflecting pond in another area and a curving walking path that allows employees to take a nature break whenever needed.

“The landscape was designed to give a level of privacy despite being in the Capital City,” McCann says. “An earthen berm separates the grounds from Corporate Boulevard and cuts down on some of the noise. Overall, we wanted a space where employees could get outside and feel like they were out of the city for a while.”

While looking back at its roots was an important part of Louisiana Farm Bureau’s vision, looking forward was equally critical. Modern technological features that wouldn’t have been possible in the previous headquarters were added throughout this building,

which includes 17 conference/ training rooms as well as a state-ofthe-art board room—all with fully integrated audiovisual controls and screens. Routing is performed with a touchscreen system that allows audio to come from one source and video from another. And an in-house TV studio features a 14-foot LED wall and five broadcast HD video cameras that feed into a single 4K switcher.

All of these touches also make it easy for the organization to welcome agents, students and other external stakeholders. The outdoor pavilion adjacent to the café plays host to an annual board crawfish boil, retirement parties and educational events with insurance agents. Inside, the training room can be used for leadership training with its own employees or for LSU’s Agricultural

Leadership Development Program. “This building is designed for events and collaboration,” McCann says.

Though only open for less than two years, the building project has already received multiple awards, including the Baton Rouge Growth Coalition’s Good Growth Award, the USGBC Green Award and the Award of Recognition from the International Interior Design Association.

With its new roots firmly planted, Louisiana Farm Bureau is positioned to keep on growing, McCann says. “It allows for a more efficient workflow and line of communication,” he says.

“With those efficiencies, Louisiana Farm Bureau can better serve its members and customers.” ■

Like many of the meeting areas, this training room contains motorized blackout shades that can block the natural light for video presentations.

An onsite fitness center, accessible by employees 24 hours a day, is equipped with dumbbells, yoga mats, treadmills, elliptical machines and a strength training machine.

Open floorplans allow employees to see each other and easily work together on projects.

Flexible work areas like these open banquettes and tables were strategically positioned along walkways and near tall windows to capture sunlight during impromptu meetings.

Water features including this reflecting pond were part of the architects’ biophilic design scheme.

Executive offices combine cool neutral hues with warm natural wood tones.

LABI FREE ENTERPRISE AWARDS

BUSINESS & BOOTS

LABI MEMBERS and elected officials saddled up for the 2023 Free Enterprise Awards, honoring businesses and individuals dedicated to the principles of free enterprise and community contribution. Later that night, we celebrated the honorees with a party featuring local favorite country band Parish County Line.

WORKERS’ COMP SEMINAR

PARTICIPANTS AT the 2023 Workers’ Comp Seminar visited with vendors during breaks and made industry connections during the afterhours reception held in the courtyard at Renaissance Baton Rouge.

DC FLY-IN

3

EACH FALL, the LABI team heads to DC along with 20-30 LABI board members to connect with our federal partners. The 2023 DC Fly-In came with several highlights including a night tour of the Capitol from Congressman Garret Graves, insightful discussions with policy leaders at API and a visit with now Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.

LABI ANNUAL MEETING

AND VIP Member & Legislator Reception

LABI HOSTED A record crowd on February 21 at its 2024 Annual Meeting at the Crowne Plaza. Special guests included Louisiana Speaker of the House Phillip DeVillier and Senate President Cameron Henry for a mid-morning forum leading up to the luncheon at noon. There, Governor Jeff Landry took the stage along with Susie Schowen, Secretary of Louisiana Workforce Commission, and Susan B. Bourgeois, Secretary of Louisiana Economic Development. Onstage, Gov. Landry signed an executive order loosening regulations for ITEP. Commissioner of Insurance Tim Temple followed with an update on goals and projections for the state’s insurance challenges. The LABI VIP Member & Legislator Reception, the evening before the meeting at LABI Center for Free Enterprise, also held a record crowd with a new legislature and new energy for change.

LABI KICKED OFF the 2024 Legislative Session with our Back to Business event on March 11 followed by our Policy Workshop the following day. A number of industry experts were on hand for the workshop to discuss upcoming issues with new legislators and BESE members.

LIC TOUR

SINCE THE beginning of 2024, LABI’s president and CEO Will Green has traveled the state for our Legislative Issues Conference tour. Through this, he’s shared LABI’s legislative goals with chambers of commerce and business leaders throughout Louisiana. To the right is a list of the groups he’s met with. (It’s been busy!)

CHAMBERS

• Shreveport Republican Women

• Chamber Southwest

• Northshore Business Council

• Tangipahoa Chamber

• One Acadiana

• Monroe Chamber

• Cenla Chamber

• Jefferson Chamber

• River Region Chamber

• Broussard Chamber

• Louisiana Home Builders Association

• Acadia Parish Chamber

HERE COMES THE SUN

BY ASHLEY GORDON

CONSTRUCTION OF A $1.1 BILLION manufacturing facility is underway in New Iberia—the single largest capital investment in the area’s history. First Solar—an Arizona-based producer of solar panels (above)—is the largest employer in America’s solar manufacturing sector. In New Iberia alone, First Solar’s investment is expected to create over 700 new direct manufacturing jobs. The facility will be located on the grounds of the Acadiana Regional Airport and will ultimately encompass more than 2 million square feet.

“As we evaluated our options, Louisiana’s ability to deliver the talent we need stood out, thanks to its extensive workforce devel-

opment initiatives and the presence of academic institutions such as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette which now features a world-class solar energy lab,” says Mark Widmar, CEO of First Solar. “We are proud that our investment in American manufacturing will create stable, good-paying manufacturing jobs and economic and social value in the state.”

First Solar anticipates that the plant will be fully operational and able to begin shipping products by the first half of 2026. At full capacity, the plant will be capable of churning out more than a dozen panels per minute. ■