Retention & Expansion

Assisting existing businesses

With an estimated 80% of new jobs created by existing Acadiana companies, we understand that existing businesses are crucial to our region’s economic success.

To learn more, contact

Brendan Dungan

Director, Business Development

brendan@oneacadiana.org

337.408.3655

 

Emile Lege

Coordinator, Business Development

emile@oneacadiana.org

337.408.3663

Our Business Retention & Expansion Program is a critical element of our economic development toolkit. The program is focused on gaining knowledge and understanding about your business through a face-to-face visitation program, identifying challenges and opportunities for your business, and creating a path for your business success.

Through active dialogue with the business community, we are committed to growing businesses, capital investment, and employment opportunities in Acadiana.

Contact One Acadiana if you:

  • Are beginning construction or hiring new employees.
  • Want a single point of contact for local, regional and state issues that hinder business growth.
  • Need an advocate who can walk you through necessary approvals and permits.
  • Are looking for information on regional, state and federal programs to improve your business.

What We Do

  1. We visit your business to hear from you. Information gathered in these confidential, face-to-face visits provides us with clarity about your company’s history, products, services, and workforce.
  2. We take the time to understand your business objectives, successes, and challenges. 
  3. We work with you to develop an action plan and identify the resources and partners that can help you achieve your goals.   And we will be with you throughout your project, ensuring its success.
  4. We create a follow up plan to maintain frequent communication with you to foster a long-term relationship with the business community.

What We Want to Learn

  1. Are you planning to begin construction or purchase new equipment?
  2. Do you have project financing needs to enable your business growth?
  3. Are there infrastructure, utility or other technical obstacles prohibiting growth?
  4. Are there obstacles to building a trained and qualified workforce?

We use information gathered from businesses to help shape regional business development policies and initiatives, incentives, and assistance to build a better business climate.

Thinking of starting a business? Learn more about One Acadiana's Small and Minority-Owned Business Services.

One Acadiana offers the following professional Business Development Tools, Free of Charge:

  1. Assist in the exploration of state and local incentives that are available to companies for job creation and expansion.
  2. Explore workforce training opportunities.
  3. Provide key data driven information businesses can use as they make investment decisions such as cost of labor, availability of labor, demographics, retail market reports.
  4. Perform site location assistance.

Explore Our Region

Vermilion Parish

Vermilion Parish is known for its fresh seafood, bountiful agriculture, great access via road and waterways, and a rich history of cultural and eco tourism. This bilingual (English/French), coastal parish is large and diverse with wandering bayous and farmlands, authentic local cuisine, family-friendly festivals and Cajun towns connecting it all. Vermilion is centrally located in the southern part of Louisiana immediately adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico. This proximity to the Gulf makes the parish an ideal location for the numerous companies needed to serve this region’s oil and gas industry.

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St. Mary Parish

In St. Mary Parish – or “The Cajun Coast” – the blending of French, Italian, Spanish, English, African, Native American, and Cajun traditions created a rich and flavorful “gumbo” of communities. The Atchafalaya River basin and the Gulf of Mexico serve as the lifeblood for the parish, which is composed of five municipalities: Morgan City, Berwick, Patterson, Franklin, and Baldwin, as well as the Chitimacha Nation in Charenton.

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St. Martin Parish

With a population of approximately 53,000, St. Martin Parish is part of the Lafayette MSA and sits at the corridor of both Interstate 10 and U.S. Highway 90.  St. Martin Parish is the only parish to have non-contiguous parts, in that, there are three major geographical areas dividing the 740 square mile parish, including the Atchafalaya Basin, the prairie, and the Bayou Teche area, on which several noteworthy cities, including the parish seat of St. Martinville, are located.

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St. Landry Parish

St. Landry Parish is moving forward. Located in the heart of Cajun and Creole heritage, this culturally diverse parish (county) in Southern Louisiana is a unique place both to live and do business – where hard-working people “live their culture” and are building a thriving economic base along with a high-quality trained workforce.

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Jeff Davis Parish

People from all over the world visit Jefferson Davis Parish to enjoy and experience rich Cajun and Indian culture. Jeff Davis Parish’s location, natural beauty, climate and small-town atmosphere offer a unique place for your family or business. The parish’s economic base includes health care services, shipbuilding, construction, agriculture, and oil field services. The parish has many industrial sites including the Lacassine Industrial Park on I-10.

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Iberia Parish

Iberia Parish, Louisiana and its progressive communities are the place for exciting opportunities. Iberia Parish offers a unique mix of southern fun and hospitality nestled in the heart of “Cajun Country.” Moss-draped Live Oak trees and beautiful antebellum homes serve as the backdrop for a hard-working labor force, cutting edge medical and industrial technology along with worldwide leaders in the exploration of oil and natural gas.

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Evangeline Parish

Perhaps no parish in Acadiana is more possessive of its heritage than Evangeline. Its citizens will tell you (seriously, but with a humorous touch, too) that they have the best gumbo, the best boudin (a sausage-like local favorite), and other Cajun delicacies. When it comes to Louisiana French country flavor, no parish surpasses this parish in the northwest corner of central Acadiana.

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Acadia Parish

Perfectly located along the I-10 corridor with major US Highways, railways, waterways, a port and airports, Acadia Parish offers the transportation resources needed for productive commerce. Cost of living and sites for business are affordable. This humble community is home to a culturally diverse and devoted population whose work ethic is as strong now as it was when their Cajun forefathers first settled here. Acadia Parish’s quaint charm makes it a great place to live, work and retire.

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Lafayette Parish

Affectionately known as the "Hub-City" of Acadiana, Lafayette, LA offers the essential elements needed to ensure the growth and development of its business community. Lafayette is set apart by its strategic location, a world-class workforce, a pro-business climate, and an unmatched quality of life. These attributes, complemented by a high-tech infrastructure and quality real estate, make Lafayette a unique place to live, work, play and do business.

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