GNO, Inc. Luncheon Showcases $950M in Regional Investment

NEW ORLEANS — At its annual luncheon Feb. 27, GNO, Inc. highlighted $950 million in new capital investment and more than 1,250 jobs added or retained in 2025 from projects it helped advance across the region. The sold-out event brought together approximately 1,200 business and civic leaders from across the greater New Orleans region to

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Regional Investment and Major Projects

Hecht said the $950 million total reflects a mix of large-scale industrial investments and smaller expansions across multiple parishes in the region.

The largest of the announced projects was the ElementUSA $850 million investment in St. John the Baptist Parish, expected to create 800 new jobs. In Orleans Parish, the Newlab $50 million technology innovation hub will anchor redevelopment of the former U.S. Naval Support Activity site in the Bywater, while Delta Utilities committed $5 million and 202 new jobs.

St. Tammany Parish also saw several business wins, including EquipmentShare’s $33 million investment and ChillCo’s $4.3 million expansion creating 84 new jobs. Additional projects included Boudreaux’s $3.3 million capital investment, HapTech’s $1 million expansion in Orleans Parish and Plan A Games’ $500,000 investment.

Hecht also referenced Venture Global’s recently announced $18 billion expansion, describing it as one of the largest LNG export developments in North America.

Hecht pointed to broader statewide momentum, noting that Louisiana Economic Development (LED) secured more than 9,500 direct jobs and $16 billion in direct investment statewide in 2025, with average wages exceeding $87,000 per year. As part of the statewide effort, GNO, Inc. participated in the Driving Louisiana Opportunity Tour, a multi-day economic development tour spearheaded by LED.

“I’m proud of our business retention team,” Hecht said. “We visited companies as big as Shell Norco, as small as Acme Machines in Washington Parish, as old as St. Joe’s Brickworks, and as new as St. Charles Fuels.”

Entrepreneurship and Workforce Development

In 2025, GNO, Inc. launched the NOLA Entrepreneurship Council (NEC), designed to align universities, investors, support organizations and public agencies around attracting, retaining and growing entrepreneurial talent. It also hosted 12 StartupNOLA Now ecosystem meetups and four Access to Capital programs, convening more than 500 founders and capital providers.

In addition, StartupNoir NOLA was deployed to support Black founders and connect minority-led startups with national investors. The GNO Innovation Internship program placed 36 paid interns with 21 local employers, and the annual GNOu Summit drew more than 400 attendees.

City Leadership and Policy Direction

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno made an appearance at the annual luncheon, detailing efforts to stabilize the city’s budget, modernize internal processes and reform the Department of Safety and Permits, announcing that a new director has been selected and will be formally named soon. She also said the city is implementing DocuSign to allow contracts and permits to be signed electronically, reducing paper-based delays.

“I am proud to report that we have repaired more than 1,000 streetlights and launched the infrastructure coordination council,” Moreno said, adding that the council mirrors the coordination model used during the Super Bowl to maintain year-round momentum.

The luncheon concluded with remarks from incoming 2026 Board Chair Kim Boyle, who called on attendees to embrace the region’s diversity as a competitive advantage.

“We all know that one of the major strengths of this city and region is our vibrant intellectual, racial, ethnic and cultural diversity,” Boyle said. “For this region to be economically vibrant and strong and attract innovators and businesses, we must be diverse and we must be inclusive of all.”