The dawn of a new decade is a time for both reflection and refocusing, and before Greater New Orleans, Inc. launches into its next era of developing and diversifying Southeast Louisiana’s economy, we’re taking a look back at the incredible strides that have already been made.
The past ten years are marked with wins in several arenas: business and asset development, public policy, fiscal reform and industry expansion, to name a few. More than 18,000 jobs have been brought into the area with over 80 new companies, and crucial sectors such as technology, manufacturing and biosciences are catalyzing wealth creation and ushering in a stronger workforce.
Philip J. Gunn, current Chairman of the Board, says that putting relationships and results at the core of their operations have earned GNO, Inc. the confidence of businesses, educational institutions, and political and community leaders. Such partnerships, he says, are vital to — and directly responsible for — the alliance’s victories.
“Integrity, speed and collaboration,” Gunn says. “This is what GNO, Inc. does each and every day, and this is why we get results.”
Significant milestones include the largest win for economic development jobs in Louisiana history, when the Greater New Orleans area beat out 30 markets to bring DXC Technology to the region (see page 12). GNO, Inc. was also a key player in bringing British Airways to the MSY airport, restarting direct air service to Europe for the first time since 1982. And by lobbying efforts around the Coalition for Sustainable Flood Insurance, the alliance is spearheading an initiative to reform the National Flood Insurance Program.
The list goes on, and it’s the impact of such accomplishments that led Richard Karlgaard, the publisher of Forbes, to call Greater New Orleans the “economic comeback story of our lifetime.”
“You can look around at the numerous economic development wins in our region, and in some form or fashion, GNO, Inc. was involved,” said Bryan Hodnett, incoming Chairman of the GNO, Inc. NextGen Council. “The partnerships between industry, government and higher education have been crucial in landing large projects such as DXC Technology and Accruent. I think that this will continue to be a necessity in the economic development world and feel that GNO, Inc. has pioneered the efforts to ensure that we are well positioned.”
Looking forward to 2020 and beyond, GNO, Inc. is focusing on two paths that require unified and targeted attention. The first is early childhood education, a quality of life variable that GNO, Inc. believes is critical to maintaining economic momentum and the sustainability of the region’s businesses. Rather than focusing only on workforce skills after completing high school, GNO, Inc. plans to advocate for and support children at their most formative stages of life and learning.
The second goal is to improve the working relationships between the cities, parishes and regions of Louisiana, which in the past have worked in isolation, or even with competing goals, to develop their economies and industries.
“Those times need to be in our past,” says Gunn. “The fulfillment of the aspirations of our businesses and the dreams of our citizens will only be achieved if we work together as a state and a region.”
To that end, GNO, Inc. plans to increase its activities in all of Southeast Louisiana’s ten parishes so that the journey forward will be made hand-in-hand. As President and CEO Michael Hecht puts it, by maintaining a commitment to improvement through self-critical reflection, GNO, Inc. can serve as a nexus that is able to “make the whole greater than the sum of the parts.”
Together, there is no limit to how far we can bring our region, and these next pages will explore the monumental successes that have already been notched in major sectors and industries — successes that will serve as the foundation for the great things that come next.
“We’re always focused on improving,” Hecht says. “In fact, the more successful we are, the harder we work, and the more scared we run.”
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