The reliability and resiliency of electricity is one of the most important things for companies to consider when moving to a new city. That’s why Entergy New Orleans recently unveiled a Resilience Plan that not only shows companies the utility is determined to provide the most reliable and affordable service to its customers, but the proposed projects will also create new job opportunities and spur economic growth.
And, while the utility provides reliable service for new industrial, commercial and residential customers moving into the city, its economic development team goes one step further to locate and prepare building sites, coordinate new developments and recruit companies to bring new jobs to the region.
Building Momentum on the City’s Latest Projects
Over the last decade, Entergy New Orleans helped support 36 new economic development projects valued at over $3.7 billion in the metro area, creating approximately 8,375 new direct jobs.
In 2022, Entergy New Orleans’ economic development team worked hand in hand with Spanish cement manufacturer Calucem to announce their first U.S. plant in New Orleans East. The $35 million facility, according to Louisiana Economic Development, will create 70 direct jobs for the area at an average salary of $51,700.
Earlier this year, Entergy New Orleans joined partners from the state, region and city for the groundbreaking of Propel Park, the new industrial and office development located within NASA’s Michoud Facility campus. The Entergy New Orleans team ensured that the 1 million-square-foot space could be provided the proper power supply to build out the development and is now marketing the opportunity to potential customers in the site selection community. Bringing modern manufacturing warehousing space to New Orleans will diversify its business offerings and offer more opportunities to attract prospective companies internationally.
Recently, Entergy New Orleans, the City of New Orleans and their partners collaborated to revitalize an area on the convention center property in the River District. Entergy New Orleans has addressed infrastructure needs for the approximately $1 billion development, which will consist of office space, entertainment and retail. While recruitment is still underway to bring a multitude of companies to the 30 acre parcel, modern golf entertainment leader Topgolf has already announced its plans to bring a three-story facility to the project.
Through projects like Calucem’s manufacturing plant, Propel Park’s industrial development and the River District’s convention center property, an influx of direct and indirect jobs are coming to boost the economy across the city.
Taking Advantage of Electrification Opportunities
Transportation electrification is also expanding, and the opportunities for New Orleans companies and residents to move into this space are already here. For example, New Orleans Cold Storage recently took advantage of incentives provided by Entergy New Orleans to swap out their fleet of propane forklifts with electric forklifts. Additionally, the downtown Jung Hotel installed Tesla Superchargers for guests in their parking garage.
In partnership with the City of New Orleans, Entergy New Orleans is nearing the completion of 30 free, public charging stations at 25 locations across the metro area, primarily located at New Orleans Recreation Department facilities, libraries and public parks.
Staying Aggressive to Build a Brighter Future
One of the critical ways to ensure the New Orleans market has an advantage over other markets is through Entergy New Orleans’ site certification process. The utility’s economic development team identifies and prepares sites for certification before companies commit to the property. In this way, the team takes care of anything on the front end that might cause hesitation for a potential customer to commit to a new development.
New Orleans needs to stay aggressive to take advantage of every opportunity in this region. The future is bright for this city, and Entergy’s economic development team is working every day to bring in new projects to grow the city.
Taurus Wright has served as Entergy New Orleans’ director of business and economic development since April 2022. You can reach out to Wright’s team by emailing EconomicDevNOLA@entergy.com.
