NEW ORLEANS – The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) and Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.) offered congratulations to LSU for earning distinction for the region between Baton Rouge and New Orleans as a manufacturing community.
The U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced that twelve new communities, including the Louisiana Chemical Corridor from New Orleans to Baton Rouge, received the designation as part of the federal Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) initiative. The program, under the auspices of the U.S. Commerce Department, is intended to accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing through support of economic development.
“The Department of Commerce’s designation of the Louisiana Chemical Corridor is a testament of Louisiana’s unparalleled combination of friendly business climate, superior logistics and coordinated leadership," said Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. "This designation will accelerate business development opportunities, allow for greater research and development capacity, increase workforce training opportunities, strengthen supplier networks, and support infrastructure and site development. GNO, Inc. was pleased to support this application, and we thank LSU for their leadership in securing this designation."
“We appreciate and applaud LSU’s leadership to secure the new Manufacturing Community designation for the Baton Rouge/New Orleans super region,” said Adam Knapp, president and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. “It’s another great validation of the uniqueness and national importance of our super region’s economy.”
LSU submitted the application because of the region’s competitive advantage in the chemical manufacturing sector. In total, twelve communities were selected based on demonstrated strength of economic development plans, potential for community impact, and strength of partnerships in the public and private sectors. The communities will receive dedicated federal liaisons to assist them in navigating federal resources. They will also receive recognition on a government website that promotes domestic and foreign investment to those seeking information on community competitiveness.
Representing the Super Region, BRAC and GNO, Inc. have been working collaboratively for the last several years to promote the Baton Rouge/New Orleans areas collectively for purposes of advancing economic development.
