Energy

What began as a one-crew casing company operating out of a garage in 1938 has grown into a remarkable entrepreneurial success story in Acadiana. Working with customers such as Shell, ExxonMobil, and Chevron, Frank’s International established itself as a true pioneer in deepwater services. While Frank’s now spans the globe, operating in over 60 countries, its Acadiana location remains its flagship where it employs several hundred people to complete its manufacturing operations.

Halliburton is one of the world’s largest oilfield services companies, providing technology, equipment, and engineering support for oil and natural gas exploration and production. With operations in Lafayette, Broussard, and New Iberia, the company contributes to the region’s industrial base, workforce development, and broader energy supply chain, helping maintain Acadiana’s position as a leading Gulf Coast energy services hub.

Operating out of its regional headquarters in Morgan City, Oceaneering International offers its Gulf Coast customers remotely operated vehicles, built-to-order specialty subsea hardware, deepwater intervention and manned diving services, non-destructive testing and inspection, and more. Oceaneering’s focus is deepwater drilling making Acadiana a perfect base for its operations.

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.

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.

SoLAcc provides training programs at the H & B Young Marine and Petroleum Safety Training Center in Morgan City. The Marine Operations program caters to new students, experienced tradesmen in need of refresher courses, and business with unique training needs for its workforce.

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.