Helping secure funding for regional transportation megaprojects that will reduce traffic gridlock in the Capital Region is atop the list of priorities the Baton Rouge Area Chamber has set for this year.
Also on the list of five flagship tactics for 2017 released by BRAC this morning: Securing funding for an external image campaign, increasing the push to secure more new jobs from existing regional businesses, securing funding for the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority and advocating for the creation of a small business flood recovery initiative.
While the Louisiana economy at large struggled last year, due mostly to continued low oil prices, BRAC says the Capital Region is coming off a strong year for economic development. In 2016, the nine-parish metro area landed nine business development project wins that added 924 jobs, $46.1 million in payroll and $326.6 million in capital expenditures. Last year marked the start of BRAC’s latest five-year strategic plan, called Think Bigger.
“In 2017, we will push aggressively for transportation solutions from the state during its fiscal legislative session,” says BRAC President and CEO Adam Knapp in a prepared statement, “while continuing to seek economic development gains and job growth across the nine parishes.”
Among its accomplishments last year, BRAC notes it coordinated with the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry to launch the Louisiana Small Business Rebirth Fund, which has raised $800,000 in grants for small businesses impacted by the August flood. The chamber also visited over 200 existing businesses in the region to assist with business retention and expansion, and launched a number of new initiatives including the BRAC Micro-Enterprise Credential and the BRAC Virtual Schoolhouse.
The credential was developed in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Education to prepare high school students to become small business owners and employees. Over the course of 2016, 100 teachers were certified to teach the credential. The Virtual Schoolhouse is an online platform to pair businesses with classrooms based on teacher-provided lesson plans and industry-offered expertise. In 2016, 647 students utilized the platform.
See BRAC’s complete strategic plan for 2017 and its full five-year plan.
