The most frequent question we get at The Chamber SWLA and Economic Development Alliance is “What’s Up With the Bridge?” Of course, these questions center around the progress in getting a new I-10 Bridge in Lake Charles. The current bridge is well past its lifespan and is the weakest link on the I- 10 corridor between California and Florida. This bridge is structurally sound according to Louisiana Department of Transportation and, if not, would be closed. A lot of money is spent annually to keep the bridge in acceptable shape.

 “Rural businesses play a key role in Louisiana’s ongoing economic growth and diversification,” LED Secretary Don Pierson said. “Our commitment to rural revitalization remains a priority, and our partnership with the Edward Lowe Foundation is one of the many ways we leverage available resources. Today, the state can spur rural economic growth by providing rural entrepreneurs with state-of-the-art tools and more of the critical resources they need to be successful.”

 Our side of the world, due to multi-billion dollar investments in LNG facilities development, was already garnering attention in energy magazines, trade journals, and business news.

Our five parish region has many valuable assets in the aviation sector.  There are airports throughout the area. The Allen Parish Airport, Beauregard Airport with its industrial mega-site, Jennings  Airport, Southland Field in Carlyss , and Dequincy all have facilities to handle various private aircraft. 

Over the next five years, there are $46 billion of planned projects that will use the Ship Channel — adding 90.8 million tons of cargo per year to the current cargo handled.

Just how important is the Calcasieu Ship Channel? A recent study found that it drives two-thirds of the gross domestic product of Calcasieu and Cameron parishes — and fully $39 billion of the national GDP.

Those statistics show that the Calcasieu Ship Channel is essential — and so is federal support and other funding for its maintenance.

Witnessing economic development success is just one of the rewarding aspects of Chamber life.

     The reason for that is simple. Dreams that become plans, which are then converted into viable and strong enterprises, lead to jobs.

     In Southwest Louisiana, employment creation has been the hallmark of joint collaborations between state, parish and local entities, the Alliance/Chamber SWLA, business community and more importantly…our residents.

Prior to the invasion of Ukraine, competition in the world market was fierce among LNG competitors. As well as it should be in a free market society. Once the war started and energy products from Russia became taboo, the economic and philosophical arguments to make America a clean energy-independent nation and provider to our allies have intensified.

We are Southwest Louisiana Strong, comprised of resilient people who have been through natural disasters and well on the road to recovery. The I-10 Bridge over the Calcasieu River at Lake Charles, however, is not strong and needs to be replaced.

In recent days there have been developments in the legislature that might jeopardize this project. It’s the most important piece of concrete on Interstate 10 between California and Florida. We are comfortable competing with other projects because that’s what we do in economic development. However, we don’t think it necessary to have to compete for replacement of this long-outdated bridge.

The Alliance/Chamber SWLA is encouraging the Biden administration to “utilize resources in support of LNG facility projects by streamlining permitting processes and other means in order for the industry to grow and meet energy and national security demands.”

     Our federal government has announced an agreement to supply the European Union with 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas by the end of 2022 in order to offset the natural gas supply from Russia as a result of that country’s aggressive actions against Ukraine.

     Southwest Louisiana sits in an economic strategic position due to current LNG expansion.

Current headlines in the business and geo-political realm should convince residents in Southwest Louisiana that this region’s expanding LNG  infrastructure is more important than we may think.

Before COVID and natural disasters impacted the five parish area, our economy was booming as a result was  of a number of multi-million and billion dollar construction projects directly related to the LNG industry.

The Louisiana Department of Justice is encouraging small business owners to consider ways to protect themselves from malware, viruses, ransomware and phishing.

          According to the state, 88 percent of small business owners feel their operations are vulnerable to cyber-attack.

      Here are a few tips the agency recommends:

• Create strong passwords that contain both lower and uppercase letters, symbols, and numbers for all networks and accounts that contain sensitive information.
• Install and regularly update anti-virus, network firewalls, and information encryption tools to scan for and counteract viruses and harmful programs.
• Establish basic security practices and policies for employees. Ensure they are implemented in ever part of your business.

 From an economic development standpoint, the downtrodden mindset is not acceptable. In a free market economy, a person or group is challenged with problems every day. In fact, some would say it is the business community that is best equipped to utilize innovation to find solutions to problems that solve some of society's issues while at the same time reaping financial benefits.

This year, 2022, should be a good one for business in Southwest Louisiana — with much of the outcome dependent on the COVID impact, inflation, and supply issues. 

 Our Alliance in-house economist, Dr. Dan Groft of the McNeese H.C. Drew Center, reports that looking back to last year, the taxable sales in Calcasieu Parish increased by over $1.4 billion from 2020 to 2021. This represented a 24.2 percent increase. 

A prosperous economy, resilient coastline and homes, and updated infrastructure are vital to ensuring we maintain and grow our community. This requires a concerted effort by private and public partners and local, state, and federal governments to secure the future of Lake Charles. One key partner in our efforts has been Sen. Bill Cassidy.

Sometimes we all take for granted what good aspects exist in our home towns. I am a big believer in the thought that the greatest public relations efforts for a city are based in the comments made by citizens when they leave for short term vacations or longer jaunts.

People who appreciate their town or city talk about them and share their passion in ways pictures and slogans do not always accomplish.

Despite natural disasters and COVID, our region is poised for continued growth. The leadership exhibited at the Chamber SWLA Banquet demonstrates our region is in good hands.   

Despite continuing to recover from natural disasters, our area is vibrant and holds much potential.

We thank the over 1,200 business members for their confidence in us to serve as The Voice For Business, making The Chamber SWLA one of the largest Chambers of Commerce in the state.

We hope you will take time during the holidays to pause and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.

Every 10 years following the U.S. Census, redistricting is required for the districts of the various city, parish, and state elected officials. Affected will be the U.S. House, state Senate, state House, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) and Public Service Commission. The Louisiana State Supreme Court election districts may also be re-drawn but it is not a requirement.

Each city and parish will be responsible for re-drawing the lines for their election districts. There will be shifts in council and police juror districts based on the population growth in certain areas.

To encourage municipal and parish governments; educational institutions (McNeese State University, SOWELA Technical Community College, and regional school districts); the business community; volunteer organizations and non-governmental organizations to support the creation and funding of permanent English as a Second Language programing throughout the five parish region.  

• United States Census figures indicate that the five parish region has a total of 6,982 Hispanic residents. Note: It is understood that more residents could possibly be in the area.
• Learning English will allow these residents to enter different employment sectors in the regional workforce which has been depleted due to COVID-19 and the two hurricanes of 2021.
• Speaking fluent English will allow these residents to utilize business assistance services that can lead to entrepreneurship which strengthens the local taxing/revenue base.
• Speaking fluent English will allow these residents to be fully integrated into the body of SWLA therefore allowing them to share their culture and intellectual expertise and diversify the region’s thought process.

Saturday’s elections proved once again that a low turn-out can allow a small percentage of voters to determine the outcome. My Dad was a Marine and he always impressed upon me that those in the armed forces were there to be sure all Americans could have freedom. It was our patriotic duty to vote.

Voters have an opportunity to make meaningful changes to the constitution of Louisiana which will result in a more business-friendly climate. The result of that will be increased investment and jobs for our people. The Board of the Directors of the Chamber SWLA are urging approval of all of the amendments to the Louisiana Constitution.

The Economic Recovery Support Group, one of six task forces known as “Recovery Support Functions,” or RSFs,  is part of the Calcasieu Parish Long Term Hurricane Recovery Plan. Each RSF contains major recommendations for the recovery of our parish and region. The other RSF’s are: Community Planning and Capacity Building, Health and Social Services, Housing, Infrastructure, and Natural and Cultural Resources.

It’s time to say thank you to the members of the Louisiana Congressional Delegation for the first step in funding for Disaster Relief. After more than one year, funds will now begin to come to Louisiana. President Biden quickly signed the bill Thursday night after passage by Congress. The legislation provides temporary funding to avoid a government shutdown, an extension for national flood insurance which we certainly need, and very important to our region, a $28.6 billion national disaster aid package.

The Calcasieu Parish Hurricanes Laura and Delta Long-Term Community Recovery Plan is an excellent blueprint for our region’s recovery and sustainability for generations to come. The over-riding issue to solve is that of affordable housing.

Hurricane Ida and its trailing impacts have left most of Southeast Louisiana and the Northeast US devastated. The images of destruction and human suffering bring our thoughts back to the aftermath of Hurricanes Laura and Delta in Southwest Louisiana. Our region continues to rebuild and recover with thousands of houses still in disrepair. Lack of insurance settlements, lack of contractors, and lack of building supplies are adding to delays in rebuilding. Several thousand of our residents are still displaced because of lack of affordable housing. One positive note is that the businesses and homes being rebuilt in most cases are being strengthened and will be better and stronger than before.

Preliminary 2020 Census numbers show that Louisiana’s population increased by 2.7 percent to over 4.7 million people. Only 19 of the 64 parishes increased population or remained the same. The rest of the parishes lost population. The area of Southwest Louisiana increased 5.1 percent. In Calcasieu Parish, the total population went from 192,768 to 216,785.

Originally published in the American Press, 8/3/2021

Three weeks from now, one year will have passed since Hurricane Laura slammed our area.

The Chamber SWLA and other community organizations joined elected officials and community leaders July 27 for a community support rally to push the message that time has long past for our region to receive federal supplemental disaster relief funding. The campaign is “Help Southwest Louisiana Now.”

Virtually every business we know is seeking workers. Regardless of the business type, there is a shortage of folks who are ready to return to the workforce. At the end of this month, the extra $300 unemployment enhancement will end in Louisiana. This may urge many who have not been in the workforce lately to consider finding a job.

While Louisiana and in particular, our five-parish region, await a federal disaster appropriation, rebuilding continues at less than a desired pace. The industrial outlook continues to provide hope for our region’s recovery.