Moving Forward

St. Landry Economic Development has been a good steward of public money, according to accountants reviewing the annual budget.

“The budget is good, SLED does maintain itself,” CPA Dana Quebedeaux told the SLED board as the fiscal year comes to an end June 30.

The budget document showed a net loss in the budget year ending June 30 of $11,000, but that is deceiving, according to the accountant with the firm of John S. Dowling Co. The paper loss reflects investments made from last year’s profits in projects that are rolled into the new fiscal year.

“All that is … is that you … sold some land in the last fiscal year of over $1 million [and are taking that money] and spending on your projects for the next fiscal year. … You’re taking funds you received in the last fiscal year and spending them on projects in the anticipated 2017 budget.

“Based on the revenues and expenses that occur in SLED itself … you would have a profit of $64,000 more than what you actually spend,” Quebedeaux said.

“We are pleased with this confirmation that we have been diligent in the business of bringing new business to St. Landry Parish and working to expand the businesses that are here,” economic development director Bill Rodier said. “We have been able to live within our own budget as an agency of the parish, and at the same time find money to develop new opportunities for our people and businesses.

“We understand that we are trustees of the money allocated for our use, and that the essential part of the word “trustee” is the “trust” that we work very hard to maintain,” he said.

St. Landry Economic Development has received high marks in peer reviews in recent years for its adoption of best management practices both for its internal operations and its business development strategies.

“St. Landry Economic Development averaged a record 17 business/industrial recruitment projects in active consideration at any given 

time in 2015,” Rodier noted, and the parish jumped off to a quick start in 2016, making the development director optimistic that this year could be even better.

A recent regionwide study in Acadiana reinforced the findings of a St. Landry development plan adopted several years ago about where the parish might most successfully find opportunities for new and expanded businesses.

That study found St. Landry particularly poised to expand its food processing industry, a growing trade in cultural/eco-tourism/entertainment, transportation and distribution, manufacturing, as well as in core industries such as aviation, engineering, and heavy industry.

“That study confirmed many of our own findings,” Rodier said. “The St. Landry Parish development plan adopted several years ago noted that agriculture and aquaculture are significant parts of our economy and that the parish has a strong base of food processing businesses that formed here because of our passion for good food.”

He also noted that St. Landry has been a pioneer in development of cultural assets, which have become a significant part of an overall tourism industry that is growing steadily year-by-year.

In addition, Rodier pointed out that St. Landry Parish is getting “a growing number of inquiries about potential retail sites, particularly along the I-49 corridor.” He said that retailers are “taking a close look at the fact that central St. Landry Parish draws consumers from a large geographic radius.”

He continued, “In addition to our core operating budget, we do have some unique and significant resources that we can use to make our parish an attractive place for business and industrial growth that continues accelerate our efforts of moving forward.”