At the Louisiana Business Symposium presented this week by Business Report, more than 1,400 attendees gathered at breakfast and luncheon events for the unveiling of the Best Places to Work Award winners and the annual economic forecast by Loren Scott and Jim Richardson.
Executives with three of the 50 Baton Rouge area firms honored at the Best Places to Work Awards Breakfast participated in a panel discussion to share their advice on keeping employees engaged, fostering a sense of pride and ownership in the workplace, and giving back to the community.
The No. 1 ranked small and mid-sized company this year is Envoc, which is profiled in the new issue of Business Report. Rounding out the top five companies in the small and mid-sized category are: Sigma Consulting Group, Providence, Assurance Financial and IEM. See the complete rankings for small and mid-sized companies with between 15 and 249 employees.
In the large company category, YP Marking Solutions took the top ranking, and the company is also profiled in the new issue. Following YP in the rankings are the Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz law firm, GeoEngineers, Red River Bank and Woman’s Hospital. See the complete rankings for large companies.
At the Top 100 Luncheon that followed the breakfast event, Scott said proposed increases in federal environmental regulations and volatile energy prices could hamper Louisiana’s economic growth over the next two years. But while there are reasons for concern, the overall outlook for the state is still generally positive, with the nine-parish Baton Rouge metro area poised to see job growth of 2.2% in 2016 and 1.5% in 2017. Total job growth in 2016 is expected to be at 8,900, while the area is forecast to add another 6,200 jobs the following year.
Also this week, the Metro Council unanimously approved a pair of ordinances that will allow brewpubs and microdistilleries to begin seeking permits to operate in Baton Rouge, and will expand the current wine sampling license to allow for on-site beer and liquor tasting.
Here’s a rundown of some of the other top stories making headlines in Daily Report this week:
- The five firms submitting proposals for the LSU Gateway Development, a planned mixed-use project of student housing and retail space on Nicholson Drive, will also have an opportunity to bid on replacing six, 1960s-era residence halls on campus.
- In an effort to resolve the simmering dispute over bike lanes on Glenmore and Hundred Oaks avenues, Metro Councilwoman C. Denise Marcelle has formed two committees—one comprising bike lane supporters, the other bike lane opponents—tasked with meeting and coming up with a solution to the controversy.
- At a forum hosted by the Press Club of Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s four candidates for lieutenant governor all hinted that they would like to take a more active role in economic development if elected to the state’s second-highest public position.
- Though the Oct. 24 primary is only a little more than a week away, a new survey by the LSU Public Policy Research Lab shows only about 40% of Louisianans are closely following the governor’s race.
- Business Report Publisher Rolfe McCollister released his endorsements for the Oct. 24 primary election. For governor, McCollister is endorsing Republican Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle. See his full slate of endorsements.
—Steve Sanoski
