Louisiana AGC head: Capital Region ‘holding our own’ in construction

While non-residential construction spending is expected to dip as much as 9% nationally this year, Baton Rouge is reaping the benefits of state and local government projects. “We’re holding our own,” says Ken Naquin, CEO of the Louisiana Associated General Contractors. Naquin says local spending is running ahead of 2008 levels, thanks to the city-parish Green Light Plan and the sewer rehabilitation work and the state and federally-funded widening projects for Interstate 10 and Interstate 12. Those increases have offset declining activity on the private building side. The decision by Woman’s Hospital to temporarily halt work on its new campus until it could get a better interest rate on bonds “hit us a lick,” Naquin says, and commercial work should slowdown later this year and into 2010. While petrochemical construction activity has slowed down, it’s expected to pick up later this year or next year, as companies are forced to do work to comply with federal environmental mandates. Either way, Naquin says having enough construction jobs locally, or finding the workers to fill them won’t be an issue.—Timothy Boone