Aerospace

A world leader in the niche market of aviation exterior painting, Avex has been located at Acadiana Regional Airport (ARA) in New Iberia for over 25 years. Taking advantage of ARA’s 8,000-foot runway, Avex serves the jet fleets of industry giants such as Boeing, FedEx, and Southwest Airlines.

Comprising operations in North America, South America, Latin America and Trinidad, Bristow is headquartered in New Iberia. It has operated for over 50 years in North America, and primarily provides crew transport services to offshore drilling rigs and production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Clients consist of international, independent and major integrated oil and gas companies. Bristow maintains advanced flight-following systems and widespread and strategically located offshore fuel stations in the Acadiana region.

Headquartered in Lafayette for over 60 years, PHI has flown over 12 million rotary wing flight hours, more than any private entity worldwide. In addition to operations in the U.S., the company operates in 43 countries across the globe. Every day, PHI helicopters fly up to 250 miles into the Gulf of Mexico’s international waters providing transportation, air medical, and technical services to offshore oil and gas companies.

Louisiana’s High-Impact Jobs Program (HIP) offers qualifying companies up to five years of reimbursable grants for the creation of new jobs that pay above the parish (county) average wage, based on the parish where the project is located.

The Louisiana Industrial Ad Valorem Tax Exemption Program (ITEP) offers an 80% property tax abatement for up to 10 years on a manufacturer’s new investment.

Louisiana’s Digital Interactive Media and Software Program (DM)—one of the strongest of its kind in the nation—helps innovative digital media and software development companies of all sizes gain a competitive edge.

In January 2016, South Louisiana Community College purchased Bristow Academy’s New Iberia location and its assets for $2.9 million to establish its International School for Aviation Excellence, which will confer two-year associates degrees to helicopter pilots. This initiative will also expand the college’s aviation maintenance technician (AMT) program to develop a cadre of aerospace professionals who meet and exceed the industry standards and workforce demands of today and tomorrow.

Located in a rich and fertile section of Acadiana known as the “tri-parish area”, LSU Eunice is a two-year university in the LSU system offering numerous transfer degree programs, technical certificates, and associate degrees. It is nationally recognized for its allied health programs, and its developmental education program, Pathways to Success.

SoLAcc offers technical diplomas, workforce training, high school dual enrollment and two-year degree programs. It maintains 9 campuses across the Acadiana region, and offers 35 areas of study via traditional, evening, and web-based courses. SoLAcc is focused on job placement, and maintains strong ties to local businesses who trust in the capabilities of its graduates.

Southwest Louisiana (SOWELA) Technical Community College offers programs in fields such as criminal justice, industrial instrumentation technology, office systems technology, and process technology.

UL Lafayette is designated by the Carnegie Foundation as a Tier 1 research university (R1), and it is among the top 10 universities in the U.S. for its percentage of R&D expenditures funded by business, according to the National Science Foundation. UL Lafayette’s College of Engineering is its largest undergraduate program boasting over 2,700 undergraduate students, 177 master’s students, and 41 PhD students representing 45 states and 25 countries. The college focuses on providing “hands-on” learning experiences with a strong emphasis on internship and cooperative learning experiences. Over 200 companies regularly recruit its Engineering and Technology graduates.