St. Tammany Corporation is the economic development organization for St. Tammany Parish. Following our reboot of economic development in St. Tammany in 2018 and the launch of our comprehensive strategic plan THRIVE2023 in 2019, the St. Tammany Corporation team has diligently pursued opportunities to foster strategic partnerships and deliver robust technical assistance to businesses.
Most recently, St. Tammany Corporation launched two dynamic and innovative regional partnerships in coordination with partners in St. Tammany, Washington, and Tangipahoa parishes: Northshore Healthscape and STartUP Northshore.
Northshore Healthscape: A Collaborative Enhancing the Pulse of our Regional Healthcare Economy
Healthcare is a major economic driver on the Northshore in terms of both jobs and productivity, contributing more than $1.5 billion to the three-parish GDP. The industry represents 22,000 jobs in the area, and demand continues with 5,000 unique postings for jobs in the past 12 months. Projections indicate that jobs in this sector will increase 11% by 2026.
As the population grows across the Northshore, local healthcare leaders have expanded services to improve access to care closer to home. Northshore healthcare institutions need a talented and skilled workforce qualified to provide these enhanced services, so educating and training the next generation of talent is paramount.
In May 2022, “Northshore Healthscape: A Collaborative Enhancing the Pulse of our Regional Healthcare Economy” officially launched. Northshore Healthscape is an economic development initiative that will harness competitive advantages, enhance the workforce, and promote the Northshore as a healthcare destination. Recognizing the opportunities, challenges and needs of our healthcare ecosystem, the priority areas of work for the pilot program are capacity building, workforce and talent, ecosystem development and strategic implementation.
The initiative is led by Ashley Llewellyn, St. Tammany Corporation’s director of strategic initiatives, and key stakeholders include North Oaks Health System, Ochsner Northshore-Mississippi Gulf Coast Region, Our Lady of the Lake Northshore, Slidell Memorial Hospital, St. Tammany Health System and St. Tammany Corporation in collaboration with Northshore Technical Community College and Tri-Parish Works.
STartUP Northshore
In August 2022, St. Tammany Corporation launched STartUP Northshore, a three-year Northshore regional pilot program with the purpose of catalyzing entrepreneurship, innovation and business formation on the Northshore. Progress to date on this initiative includes the formalization of a strategic partnership with The Idea Village, anchored by the launch of the IDEAinstitute Northshore program; the hiring and onboarding of an entrepreneur-in-residence staff position to serve as the program manager and point of contact for all things relative to entrepreneurship and second stage companies; and the facilitation of regional programming for area founders.
IDEAinstitute Northshore’s fall 2022 cohort welcomed a diverse group of 16 engaged founders across 14 companies and 12 industries who completed the 10-week accelerator program. Cenzo Caronna, St. Tammany Corporation’s entrepreneur-in-residence and program manager, facilitated a curated experience for Northshore founders by hosting one-on-one coaching sessions, coordinating in-person networking opportunities and recruiting mentors to take part in Coach Week.
This March, STartUP Northshore hosted the Northshore’s first ever NOEW in Your Neighborhood event as part of New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW) at Palmettos on the Bayou in Slidell. Nearly 80 local entrepreneurs, innovators, investors and creatives with a passion for business came together to celebrate and learn more about entrepreneurship on the Northshore.
The second cohort of IDEAinstitute Northshore is currently underway, with 23 founders participating in the 10-week accelerator program. For more information about STartUP Northshore, visit STartUpNorthshore.com and follow our dedicated STartUP Northshore Facebook and LinkedIn pages.
Chris Masingill has served as the chief executive officer of St. Tammany Corporation since July 2018. He may be reached at CMasingill@sttammanycorp.org.
