Moving Forward Archive

Corporate leaders are beginning to discover the advantages St. Landry Parish has to offer and a score of them are actively considering adding new jobs, new money, and new vitality to the parish economy.

“As our new ‘St. Landry Parish Moving Forward’ campaign shows, there is lot to be proud of here and a lot more coming that we can all be proud of,” economic development director Bill Rodier said. “We, like many others, are noticing the effect of a downturn in the oil industry. That’s why I’m pleased that a diverse mix of companies are considering us.

“When oil rebounds, as it will, we will still have that strong underpinning for our economy, but we now have the prospect of a more diverse, stronger economy based on our many other assets,” he said.

Some of the recently announced projects include:

• Investment by Crest Industries, based in Pineville, of $5 million to develop a new cutting, machining and fabrication facility in Eunice. The investment will result in a at least 44 new jobs.
• Expansion by Noble Plastics into a 77,000 square foot building at the current industrial park that will allow the company to create new, larger plastic products and that will create more than a dozen high-skill jobs.
• A large commercial project on the I-49 Service road that could bring as many as eight new national tenants and create 75 direct fulltime jobs and work for 100 or more part time employees.
• Location of Air Evac Lifeteam aircraft at the St. Landry airport that includes “significant upgrades to one of the existing facilities” and immediately brings 16 new jobs with the prospect of more.

Besides those who have made recent decisions to locate here, there are a number of other companies looking hard at St. Landry’s potential. These include:

• A manufacturer planning to locate along “one of our key transportation corridors.” The company closed on a purchase agreement in August and, “barring any unforeseen setbacks this project announcement should be forthcoming very soon,” Rodier said. It will relocate up to 100 immediate jobs and has potential to add an extra 75 full time direct positions to the parish for a total of 175 positions.
• A retail project now under construction in the center of the parish that will create 55 to 65 direct full time positions.
• A “very large” industrial project that would be done in phases. It could create more than 60 direct full time positions, but “could potentially have an unprecedented economic impact in the parish through capital investment and follow-on jobs created in additional phases,” according to Rodier.
• A national tenant investigating a site on Hwy 190 for a project that could create 25 to 30 direct full time positions.

“In addition, our parish and community leaders have created the means to develop a major event center in Opelousas that will be a signficant economic generator by itself, but also a catalyst for development of retail, tourism, and other establishments nearby,” Rodier said. The center is planned to be the anchor for a 300-acre complex of shops, hotels, restaurants and perhaps an upscale residential development.

A study by Dr. Anthony J. Greco, an economist with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, estimates the project will increase spending in the parish by as much a $100 million in its first year.

“Business and industry leaders have begun to notice that St. Landry is a ‘Can Do’ parish with much to offer,” Rodier said.  “I’m confident that we will dramatically expand opportunities and growth across all of St Landry Parish in the months to come.”