Here are the top business stories you may have missed this week:
Louisiana Economic Development (LED) has announced that major investments have created historic results for 2025, the largest year of investment and job creation in Louisiana’s history, with more than $61 billion in capital investment and over 9,300 direct new jobs generated. Major projects in the region include Hut 8’s $7B data center lease and ElementUSA’s $850M Minerals facility.
LED Announces Historic Results for 2025
Hut 8 Signs $7B Lease for River Bend Data Center
ElementUSA Announces $850M Critical Minerals Facility
FTS | Flexblue Staffing announced the strategic acquisition of Holi Services, a Louisiana-based staffing firm that has served the region since 1976. The acquisition strengthens FTS | Flexblue Staffing’s core market presence in New Orleans while significantly expanding its reach and operational scale in Baton Rouge.
FTS | Flexblue Expands Footprint with Acquisition
The Port of South Louisiana (PortSL) has announced that Julia Fisher-Cormier has been selected as the next Executive Director following a national search and a unanimous vote by the Board of Commissioners.
PortSL Commissioners Name New Executive Director
New Orleans posted a double-digit rental yield of 10.1%, signaling that rental income remains strong relative to home prices. The figure makes the city one of the more attractive major U.S. markets for investors, while also highlighting persistent affordability pressures for renters and prospective homebuyers.
New Orleans Ranks Among Top U.S. Cities for Rental Yield
A new report from the Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR), “It’s a Big Deal,” says the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center could save hundreds of millions of dollars in public subsidies tied to its pending deal with Omni Hotels for a $600 million, 1,005-room headquarters hotel. The deal is expected to be finalized by March 2026, with the hotel opening in 2030.
BGR Report Says Convention Center Omni Deal Could Cost Less
The LPSC passed a directive that establishes a new regulatory pathway for large load projects like data centers to be brought onto the electricity grid faster. It makes it easier for companies to get power by waiving certain requirements designed to protect existing customers.
LPSC Fast-Tracks Approvals for Large Projects
Here are more of the week’s top business stories:
New Orleans Chamber Annual Meeting Focuses on City Budget
LSU Consolidates Research Under Flagship Campus
RNGD to Manage $84M State Office Building Project
Manning Family Children’s Announces New Senior VP & CMO
