It has been a big year for the Capital Region and Louisiana. From the announcement of multiple, multibillion dollar economic development deals across the state to the arrival of ridesharing service Uber in Baton Rouge, business news dominated the headlines in 2014.
Looking back on the year, Business Report has compiled its list of the top 10 local business stories of the year gone by in a feature from the current issue.
“Louisiana braced for a chemical-induced manufacturing boom amid concerns over where the workers will come from for an estimated 86,000 jobs that will need to be filled over the next few years,” reads the future, which identifies the forecast workforce shortage among the year’s top stories. “The realization that Louisiana’s workforce is not yet equipped to handle the influx of projects along the 10/12 corridor spurred collective efforts by the public and private sectors to train people with the necessary skills and connect workers with the appropriate jobs.”
Of course, one of the biggest stories of the year was Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu’s defeat by Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy in the hotly contested Senate race, which was only decided earlier this month.
And perhaps no story got as much attention locally as the quest by some to incorporate a new city of St. George from unincorporated portions of the parish, and the annexations in the city that the push created. Also making the year-end list is the sudden drop in oil prices, as well as Uber’s arrival in Baton Rouge and the resignation of East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority CEO Walter Monsour. Read the full feature. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.
