The Iberia Economic Development Authority, in conjunction with One Acadiana and Iberia Parish Government, announced Tuesday morning the certification of Progress Point in Iberia Parish.
The announcement came at the IEDA office in downtown New Iberia, with local public officials and One Acadiana members present to celebrate the announcement. The site is the second certified site in Iberia Parish, along with the Acadiana Regional Airport.
“This is Iberia Parish’s second certified site,” Iberia Industrial Development Foundation Director Mike Tarantino said. “It will join a list of certified sites and will be shared with top selectors around the country who make decisions about where to locate.”
According to a prepared statement, certified sites are a crucial first step in growing jobs and investment in the area, and also serve as a landing pad for businesses looking to start, relocate, or expand in Acadiana. Building on One Acadiana’s efforts to create a strong portfolio of shovel-ready land, the 45.29-acre certified site will bring the Acadiana Region’s total number of certified sites to 10.
“This is a great day for Iberia Parish,” One Acadiana President and CEO Troy Wayman said. “We’re very excited about this. The site certification program we work on is critical to success and economic development, economic development is a faster stream of work, companies want information quickly. The fact that we can have these sites that are basically shovel ready, the faster we can respond.”
Iberia Parish President Larry Richard said the certification also lends itself to a project that local government is currently working on: the access road project at the Acadiana Regional Airport.
“Economic development is huge and Progress Point is a big asset in Iberia; this is a great day for Iberia Parish.”