A lot has been written, locally and nationally, about entrepreneurism in New Orleans. While that often includes the larger surrounding region, too little ink gets devoted specifically to the neighboring parishes.
Jerry Bologna, CEO of the Jefferson Economic Development Corporation (JEDCO), would like to see more attention paid to business innovation and opportunity in Jefferson Parish.
“Entrepreneurism in Jefferson is very strong,” he said. “We are a small-business parish, and most of those businesses started out as entrepreneurial ventures. Seventy-seven percent of businesses here have less than 20 employees, but 50% of the jobs are in small businesses. They are the backbone of our economy.”
Those businesses, and the parish itself, are considerably more diversified than many people think. Bologna cited demographics that indicate that Jefferson is the most diverse parish in the state, with some 45 different dialects spoken within its borders.
In terms of the economy, Bologna noted that, “We have a net daily inflow of people coming into Jefferson to work. I think that speaks to the diversity of businesses we have.”
Those businesses run the gamut from manufacturing to banking, insurance to seafood production. Engineering, small-scale manufacturing and alternate energy are growing fields. The latter benefits from requiring skill sets similar to Louisiana’s traditional oil and gas industries. One particularly strong sector is technology.
“Technology is pretty healthy in Jefferson,” noted Neel Sus, founder and CEO of Susco Solutions. “There is a lot of support, a lot of knowledge sharing, good workforce options.”
Founded in 2006, Susco develops custom business software and mobile workforce apps for a variety of small- to medium-sized businesses regionally and has a substantial national presence in the insurance industry. Sus sees the Jefferson environment as highly conducive to new ideas and approaches.
“We have massive institutions like Ochsner, plus a lot of smaller players, doubling down on innovation,” he said.
One recent example of this is the new Gulf Coast Bank branch office in Elmwood, which is the first in the region to be completely off the grid. Its combination of solar power with backup battery storage, geothermal heating and cooling, satellite internet, and passive design approach make it completely self-sufficient.
Bologna pointed to several other recent examples of innovation and entrepreneurship, including the pioneering off-bottom oyster farming operation launched in Grand Isle; Oracle Lighting, a company that started in a garage and is now shipping its specialized LED products all over the world; and Perrone & Sons — a family-owned grocery firm that has doubled its capacity with a focus on specialty food product manufacturing.
A new regional food and beverage incubator will augment this last field in the near future. Currently in the design phase, it will provide commercial kitchen space, along with storage and packaging support, to entrepreneurs in early-stage development. The facility will be the first of its kind in Southeast Louisiana.
Bologna noted several reasons for Jefferson’s successful entrepreneurial climate, including access to capital, with loans available from several local and regional banks and JEDCO’s own loan and financing options.
“We are fairly unique in having a financing function,” he said, “and strong partnerships with the banks. There is also a robust venture capital landscape in Southeast Louisiana. Access to capital is key.”
Sus echoed Bologna’ assessment of Jefferson as a desirable place for business startups.
“All the support services you need for your business are out there, and it’s easy to connect with them,” he said, citing legal, accounting and IT as examples.
“You can definitely connect with groups in the area like JEDCO,” Sus continued, “and meet other business owners in your sphere. We have Leadership Jefferson, and multiple chapters of Business Networking International. There are office opportunities where you can be around other new companies. In my field, there are a lot of tech workers out there, which makes it easier to hire people. Jefferson is a good place to be.”
Keith Twitchell spent 16 years running his own business before serving as president of the Committee for a Better New Orleans from 2004 through 2020. He has observed, supported and participated in entrepreneurial ventures at the street, neighborhood, nonprofit, micro- and macro-business levels.
