LED touts 2012 highlights

The Jindal administration had its best year so far for business development in 2012, according to a year-end report from LED. “Louisiana had its best year for business development in the last five years,” says LED Secretary Stephen Moret, “securing more retained jobs, more new jobs and more capital investment than in any of the previous four years.” Expansions and relocations announced in 2012 will result in more than 24,000 new jobs and $22.3 billion in new capital investment, along with hundreds of millions in new sales for small businesses, LED says. Among the highlights:
• CF Industries’ $2.1 billion expansion in Donaldsonville
• Sasol’s integrated gas-to-liquids and ethylene complex, a 1,250-job, $16 billion-21 billion investment in Westlake, said to be the largest manufacturing investment in state history.
• GE Capital’s new 300-job technology center in New Orleans
• Ronpak’s relocation of its corporate headquarters from New Jersey to Shreveport
• Benteler Steel/Tube’s 675-job seamless steel tube mill and steel mill project at the Port of Caddo-Bossier
Also in 2012, Zachary was named one of Family Circle magazine’s “best towns for families,” while Site Selection ranked the Baton Rouge metro area No. 1 in its category for creation and expansion of corporate facilities and again named BRAC to its top 10 list of economic development organizations. Read the full report here.