In “Top States for Doing Business 2014,” its annual survey of national site selectors, Area Development has ranked Louisiana in the Top 10 in multiple categories:
#6 Overall Top State for Business
#1 Incentive Programs
#2 Workforce Development Program
#3 Cooperative State Government
#3 Favorable Regulatory Environment
#3 Competitive Utility Rates
#4 Overall Business Environment
#4 Speed of Permitting
#5 Overall Cost of Doing Business
Area Development writes: [Louisiana] has combined a business-friendly approach with enduring advantages such as a highly productive and well-trained workforce and a modern transportation infrastructure. Since 2008, the state has secured projects that are creating more than 83,000 new direct and indirect jobs and more than $54 billion in new capital investment, along with hundreds of millions of dollars in new sales for Louisiana’s small businesses.
