During my nearly nine years with the New Orleans Business Alliance (NOLABA), the organization has persevered through several periods of change, both internally and externally. Despite those changes, our commitment to community-focused and inclusive economic development stands unwavering. Last year represented another period of transition and reflection as our board of directors led a national search to identify the best possible candidate to lead this critical work on behalf of NOLABA, our talented team, and the entire city of New Orleans. I was named as NOLABA’s next president and CEO in December 2023, and I’m excited to take on the great opportunities here at our organization and in the New Orleans business community.
NOLABA is the only economic development organization that is working exclusively for the benefit of New Orleans and its citizens, and that is not a job we take lightly. To create maximum impact moving forward, we first need to look at the organization as a whole to determine what works and what doesn’t – doubling down on what we do well.
That renewed focus begins with our strategic planning process, set for the first half of 2024, something NOLABA hasn’t done since pre-COVID when the world (and the New Orleans economy) looked completely different. Right now, we’re working closely alongside our many community, business and government partners to ensure we’re asking the right questions and tailoring our efforts around where our work can create the most positive growth in the New Orleans community.
As we embark on the task of assessing our community’s business needs, we continue to evolve and elevate our award-winning programming while seeking out new opportunities to support our local small business community and attract new companies by showcasing the city’s vast potential for target industries like bio and advanced manufacturing.
NOLABA recently launched one of the few SSBCI (State Small Business Credit Initiative) loan programs in Louisiana, targeting businesses that have been through our Invest NOLA and Resilient Corridors Initiatives (RCI) programming, which is aimed at high-growth companies founded by entrepreneurs of color and resilient neighborhood businesses, respectively. New cohorts of both Invest NOLA and RCI will launch later this year, showcasing our belief in the power of home-grown business growth, with an emphasis on serving Black and minority entrepreneurs.
Many of the businesses we work with will see an amazing catalyst for potential growth in next year’s Super Bowl LIX. NOLABA sits on the Super Bowl’s Supplier Diversity Committee, which will work closely with minority-, woman-, disabled-, LGBTQ-plus- and veteran-owned businesses. These local businesses will not only be exposed to opportunities surrounding the game and events leading up to it, but they’ll also get valuable experience to help scale up. Our goal is to help businesses use their experiences in 2025 to fuel long-term revenue and job growth.
We continue to operate as the concierge for businesses looking to expand or locate in Orleans Parish, convening local partners at major national business events promoting retail and biotech opportunities. Our successes include having helped secure several big wins at Advano, Propel Park and AxoSim in the past few months.
As we move into another year of growth and positive change, we look forward to expanding our current programming and working closely alongside our many public and private partners to find new avenues and opportunities to produce generational wealth and prosperity for all – whether it be workers, small business owners, or large corporations – who call New Orleans home.
Louis David currently serves as president and CEO of the New Orleans Business Alliance (NOLABA), a public/private organization that is the lead economic development organization for the City of New Orleans and Orleans Parish. He may be reached at ldavid@nolaba.org.
