Louisiana is experiencing a transformative moment in economic development, driven by the state’s new comprehensive strategic plan.
Louisiana Economic Development (LED) has unveiled an ambitious roadmap designed to position the state as a leader in the Southeast, addressing longstanding challenges—all while building on inherent strengths through concrete initiatives and measurable goals.
The need for this comprehensive approach was clear. “Before March, LED hadn’t implemented a new strategic plan in more than 16 years,” says LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois. “Think of how different the economy and the world are from 16 years ago, so we were long overdue for an update.”
The strategic planning process, which began in mid-2024, culminated in March with formal approval by the Louisiana Economic Development Partnership (LED’s private-sector advisory board established in the legislature last year). LED partnered with national consulting firm McKinsey and Baton Rouge-based Emergent Method to spearhead the effort.
“McKinsey served as the consulting company lead building the plan, benchmarking Louisiana against national and regional competitors, and facilitating conversations at the local and regional level,” says Grady Fitzpatrick, chief business development officer at GNO, Inc. “The LEDP board—composed of 11 private-sector leaders from across Louisiana’s eight economic regions—played a critical role in shaping priorities.”
For example, Louisiana has been underperforming compared to Southern peers in several key economic indicators, including population growth, wage growth and private-sector job creation. The state has also lost many young, highly educated residents to other states. This strategic plan was designed to address those realities by setting a clear vision, aligning public and private resources, and creating a roadmap for sustained, high-quality growth.
Economic Transformation in Action
The comprehensive plan outlines a phased roadmap built on five strategic pillars: ease of doing business; high-wage employment; thriving regions; growth and innovation; and global impact. These pillars form the foundation for both short-term wins and long-term economic transformation.
“Implementation is designed as a whole-of-Louisiana effort,” Bourgeois says. “Regional Economic Development Organizations like GNO, Inc., are leading region-specific efforts such as business retention, quality-of-place improvements and regional site development. State agencies are aligning policy and infrastructure investments, while higher education and workforce partners are supporting talent pipeline efforts.”
Several flagship initiatives are already in motion, demonstrating LED’s commitment to execution rather than just planning. The Sites and Infrastructure Initiative represent a $150 million investment designed to drive quantifiable returns by making strategic investments into current assets in every corner of the state to keep Louisiana competitive with development ready sites.
Meanwhile, the High Impact Jobs Program provides qualifying companies of every size the opportunity to benefit from wage-focused incentives as they increase their headcount and pay above the parish average wage. This program directly addresses the need for higher-paying opportunities across the state.
LA.IO, Louisiana’s innovation division, also is working to scale local startups, support university research and development, and launch applied artificial intelligence pilots. The division includes a $50 million Growth Fund designed to accelerate innovation, technology adoption and entrepreneurial growth, with a strong emphasis on AI and advanced industries.
Additionally, the Louisiana Opportunity Campaign represents a comprehensive marketing and talent recruitment effort to position the state as a top destination for skilled workers and high-growth companies. This campaign begins with an in-state messaging effort to build momentum and pride before expanding to national and international audiences.
LED’s commitment to rapid execution is embodied in the 9×90 plan—a focused, 18-month work plan aligning nine key initiatives with the strategic vision ahead of LED’s 90th anniversary in 2026. “These initiatives are designed to deliver tangible progress across the state by the end of next year,” Bourgeois says.
Programs already in motion include technology toolkits to help small businesses modernize and scale, while LA.IO is onboarding new early-stage capital funds and leading AI pilot projects to boost competitiveness in sectors like energy, risk management and trade. “Through 9×90, LED is not just planning—we’re executing at full speed to position Louisiana to win,” Bourgeois says.
The strategic plan builds directly on Louisiana’s core advantages while addressing persistent challenges. The state’s global leadership in energy and process industries is being expanded into areas like liquefied natural gas and hydrogen. The plan enhances Louisiana’s world-class logistics infrastructure, taps into the STEM workforce tradition with new talent retention and training programs, and fuels entrepreneurship through the Louisiana Growth Network.
Priority sectors include energy, logistics, aerospace and defense, agribusiness, professional and technical services, life sciences, and technology. The plan leverages Louisiana’s skilled industrial workforce, affordable energy, world-class ports and global trade infrastructure—all while directly tackling challenges like population decline, underinvestment in research and development, and infrastructure gaps.
Success Story: Haptech’s Innovation Journey
The impact of LED’s support for innovation and local talent development is exemplified by New Orleans-based Haptech, Inc., which was named Louisiana’s 2025 Innovative Company of the Year. Founded in 2014 by Kyle Monti, a University of New Orleans physics graduate from Luling, Haptech has grown from a startup in a New Orleans tech incubator to a company with nearly 100 patents and the U.S. Army as its largest customer.
Haptech’s expansion plans demonstrate how LED’s workforce development initiatives create real economic impact. The company is actively hiring for multiple positions—from engineering to logistics—as it prepares to launch its ERIS line of surrogate training weapons and drop-in kits this fall. These innovations are expected to replace antiquated equipment the military has used for training since the 1970s.
“Haptech has signed a Letter of Intent with LED FastStart, the state’s flagship workforce development program, to help recruit and train Louisiana talent for new roles in engineering, advanced manufacturing and defense systems development,” Monti says. LED FastStart provides access to a database of more than 200,000 people who want to work in Louisiana and works closely with the Military Council to connect highly skilled veterans with companies investing in the state.
The program’s value also extends beyond recruitment. “LED FastStart teams are also developing training modules for our company’s specific needs, prioritizing safety and improving our onboarding process,” Monti says. This tailored approach to workforce development shows how LED’s strategic initiatives create concrete benefits for Louisiana companies.
Vision for the Future
Moving forward, success will be measured through concrete, quantifiable targets that demonstrate Louisiana’s economic transformation. These include achieving the No. 1 ranking in capital investment per capita, leading wage growth rate in the South, achieving net positive migration in the state’s economic regions, and increasing venture capital per capita and research and development commercialization.
Short-term goals for 2025-2026 include launching the Louisiana Opportunity Campaign and full deployment of the $150 million Sites and Infrastructure Initiative. Long-term goals for 2027 and beyond focus on becoming No. 1 in the Southeast for wage growth and leading the region in venture capital per capita.
“This is Louisiana’s moment,” Bourgeois says. “We are combining bold leadership, regional partnership and strategic investment to build a better economic future—not just for companies, but for every citizen.” The strategic plan represents more than policy documents and funding programs; it embodies a unified vision that leverages Louisiana’s unique strengths while addressing challenges head-on.
