SWLA Alliance Foundation

The SWLA Alliance Foundation is the only 501(c)3, non-profit agency in the Southwest Louisiana region devoted solely to the economic development of our region. With the support of its stakeholders, the SWLA Alliance Foundation enhances the economic footprint of Southwest Louisiana through strong regional partnerships, workforce development, business recruitment and retention, and entrepreneurship.

The mission of the SWLA Alliance Foundation is to promote and enhance the economic development and quality of life for the Southwest Louisiana region. Funds raised help our region through programs and projects focused on workforce development, economic development, and encouraging entrepreneurship. In addition, the funding allows us to better market our region for development.

1. We work with existing industry to develop our regional workforce and address future issues.

Our alliance professionals meet with business owners and leaders in our community to ascertain current and future needs. Our team conducts BERG (Business Expansion & Retention Group) meetings in conjunction with LED. The feedback received helps us shape the goals and programs of the Alliance.  

We utilize many avenues to ensure that SWLA has a steady supply of educated, training and empowered workers like our Workforce Training Guide, which offers training and development to recent high school graduates and the underemployed in our region. 

Our Research & Economic Development Director also manages numerous databases in order to answer industry requests for information and respond to LED or industry inquiries for those looking to expand into our region.

2. We work with educational partners to develop a pipeline of future workers in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math).

Thanks to our strong partnerships with our primary and secondary school systems, we are in a constant feedback loop between industry and the educational partners training next generation workers.              

Over the past few years, we have funded robotics programs in multiple schools including sending instructors to specialized program for robotics training.  

We work closely with McNeese State University, SOWELA Technical Community College and the school systems in the five parishes that we represent.

3. We focus efforts through our Quality of Life Task Forces to make our region a better place to live.

The Alliance staff works on many projects that improve the quality of life for residents within our region. We have built a dog park, brought in the Complete Street experts to educate regional policy makers, and are working on more projects to make our region more attractive to future generations.  

Our Vice President, dedicated to Quality of Life, works with numerous coalitions and governmental agencies to bring small but vital improvements to Southwest Louisiana residents.

4. We work with Site Selectors and LED to recruit new businesses to Southwest Louisiana.

Our approach to business recruitment is expansive, but the top three strategies are: 

 1) Advertise in national and international magazines and on websites visited by site selectors as well as attend special trade shows and events targeting specialized groups.

 2) Build a grid of Certified Sites throughout our region to highlight, development-ready sites.

 3) Maintain numerous databases in order to answer industry requests for information and respond to LED or industry inquiries looking to expand into our region (RFPs) .

Click here to check out our current Board of Directors.

If you would like to invest in the future of Southwest Louisiana, become a Foundation Stakeholder. Contact Michelle McInnis at mmcinnis@allianceswla.org to set up an appointment.