LAFAYETTE, La. – Today, Broussard Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) and Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA) with One Acadiana (1A), Entergy and SLEMCO announced three sites located in Lafayette Parish have been certified under the Louisiana Economic Development (LED) Certified Sites program.
The three sites include:
- Girouard Site, a 31.42-acre site
- Martial Farms, a 32.55-acre site
- AC Commercial Site, a 44.94-acre site
Working with partners across the region, One Acadiana’s site development efforts respond to the needs of site selectors’ and relocating businesses. Establishing a landing pad for businesses is crucial to attracting jobs and investment to the Acadiana Region.
“These three new certified sites are a result of the strong partnerships the city has forged with others like the BEDC and One Acadiana. Partnerships such as these allow us to stack wins to build success,” says Mayor Ray Bourque. “Certified sites attract manufacturing facilities that bring jobs to our citizens and great growth opportunities, not only for our city but also for our entire region. We’ve already seen tremendous success with our first certified site, which is the home of the new Ochsner SafeSource Direct PPE plant that will provide 2,200 direct and indirect jobs. This is a huge win for all of Acadiana.”
“This celebration of three sites in Lafayette Parish is significant, bringing the total number of certified sites in Acadiana to 21 and the number of available sites to 20,” said Troy Wayman, President & CEO of One Acadiana. “We congratulate our partners in Broussard on this great milestone and are proud to be a part of building Acadiana’s portfolio of sites across our nine parishes to further Acadiana’s economic competitiveness.”
“Having development-ready sites is key to business attraction and expansion efforts in Lafayette Parish,” said Gregg Gothreaux, President & CEO of LEDA. “The certification of these sites places the City of Broussard in a position to be considered for a wider range of projects. Mayor Bourque and his team have continued their successful efforts to position their community for business and community development and job creation that will reap benefits for many years to come.”
BEDC, SLEMCO, and 1A worked together closely to secure the certification of the Girouard and AC Commercial Site. BEDC, Entergy, and 1A worked together closely to secure the certification of Martial Farms. One Acadiana’s Site Development program is designed to increase the region’s portfolio of marketable, development-ready sites by certifying land within the nine-parish region. This is achieved through partnership between One Acadiana, local economic development partners, Louisiana Economic Development, and landowners.
“On behalf of Entergy, I want to thank the City of Broussard for continuing to support economic development initiatives that are helping our state grow,” said Perry Pertuit, Entergy Louisiana business and economic development manager. “The partnerships we have with organizations like the city and other local, state and regional economic development groups, are helping build Louisiana’s portfolio of development ready sites. These strong partnerships are creating new jobs and encouraging businesses to invest in Louisiana, and that’s what economic development is all about.”
“Site certification has become an important tool in economic development for attracting new businesses and jobs throughout Louisiana,” said Jody Soileau, SLEMCO Business Development Specialist. “Partnering with the City of Broussard in site certifications that will exponentially increase the chances of business development here, has been both an honor and a privilege for SLEMCO.”
Landowners interested in learning more about how the site certification process can make their property more marketable can contact 1A VP, Economic Development Zach Hager at Zach@OneAcadiana.org.
About Broussard Economic Development Corporation
The mission of the Broussard Economic Development Board is to serve the community of Broussard and its elected governing entity by identifying opportunities for long-term economic growth, financial sustainability, and a meaningful quality of life.
About One Acadiana
One Acadiana is the leading economic development organization for the nine-parish Acadiana region located in south Louisiana. Representing more than 600 businesses and individuals, One Acadiana serves as the voice of the regional business community. The organization is located in the city of Lafayette and serves a region of nearly 700,000 people with a vibrant culture and unique entrepreneurial spirit. Learn more at OneAcadiana.org
About One Acadiana’s Site Development Program
One Acadiana’s Site Development program is designed to increase the region’s portfolio of marketable, development-ready sites by certifying land within our nine-parish region. This is achieved through partnership between One Acadiana, the local economic development partners, Louisiana Economic Development (LED), and landowner.