METAIRIE — The Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission and Service Corporation International announced that SCI, through its Stewart Enterprises Inc. subsidiary, will create 115 new direct jobs based at the Stewart offices in the Elmwood area of Jefferson Parish. The new jobs will be filled by Louisiana residents and will provide an average annual salary of $47,000, plus benefits.
Founded in New Orleans in 1910, Stewart has had a presence in Jefferson Parish for more than 100 years. After acquiring Stewart seven years ago, Houston-based SCI retained more than 130 corporate jobs in Jefferson Parish. As part of this project, the company is retaining an existing workforce across Louisiana that has averaged 600 employees during the past year.
“We are proud that SCI has chosen to make this sizable and impactful investment in Jefferson Parish,” said Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng. “The decision to expand here furthers the SCI commitment to a strong presence in Jefferson Parish while also complementing the teams already located in our community. It speaks to their trust in Jefferson Parish as a destination for business growth and innovation. We look forward to a long-term partnership with SCI and Stewart.”
For information about applying for jobs, visit louisianajobconnection.com/companies/sci.
Louisiana Economic Development estimates the expansion will result in 37 new indirect jobs, for a total of 152 new jobs in Jefferson Parish and Southeast Louisiana. The 115 new professionals directly employed by Stewart in Jefferson Parish will perform finance and accounting functions. The company also plans to make a capital investment of approximately $600,000 to convert existing office space for the new personnel.
“Our New Orleans team has demonstrated strong performance in providing essential finance and accounting support for our company and our team of 24,000 associates,” said Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Eric Tanzberger of SCI. “We are pleased to expand our operations in Jefferson Parish and Southeast Louisiana and look forward to welcoming new associates to the SCI family.”
JEDCO, LED, and Greater New Orleans Inc. jointly participated in discussions with SCI about the project. To secure the expansion, the State of Louisiana offered the company an incentive package that includes the comprehensive workforce solutions of LED FastStart and a $200,000 performance-based grant to offset the costs of building improvements. In addition, SCI plans to utilize Quality Jobs Program incentives.
Some of the new corporate office functions coming to Jefferson Parish represent a recapturing of jobs from overseas.
“Through this project, SCI will bring more than a hundred domestic and overseas jobs into Jefferson Parish,” said JEDCO President and CEO Jerry Bologna. “We are ideally situated to support this and other re-shoring opportunities, due to our strong infrastructure and dedicated workforce that allow us to support back-office operations of this sort. We are grateful to SCI for recognizing Jefferson Parish’s potential and continuing to invest in our community.”
In addition to the state incentive package, the Jefferson Parish Council is providing a local performance-based incentive of up to $300,000, paid in installments over four years, to further offset the costs of building out and equipping the space for the new jobs. The company will receive the full incentive amount to the extent it is able to meet annual job creation and job retention targets, as well as a Jefferson Parish residency requirement for a percentage of new positions filled.
“This expansion will create quality jobs in Jefferson Parish,” said District 2 Councilman Deano Bonano. “This community offers a pro-business climate that affords us the ability to attract new growth and investment while also providing our residents with opportunities for employment. We are proud to work alongside our economic development partners at the local, regional and state level to bring this project to fruition.”
Beginning with employment of 81 new people in 2020 and 2021, the company plans to ramp up to the full project employment of 115 new jobs by 2023.
“Service Corporation International is the industry leader for funeral products and services, with deep roots in Jefferson Parish and New Orleans,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards. “We honor the heritage and success of the Stewart family with this expansion project, while also celebrating SCI’s recognition that Louisiana is a smart choice for growing its corporate office, accounting and customer service operations for the future.”
