Louisiana is among 16 states that have been bestowed with a Silver Shovel award for economic development wins by Area Development, the industry trade publication announced today. This marks the sixth straight year that Louisiana has landed the Silver Shovel award.
“Louisiana has gotten the attention of site selectors as never before,” the magazine reports. “In a decade since Hurricane Katrina and under business-minded Gov. Bobby Jindal, Louisiana has ‘demonstrated that even a state with entrenched bureaucracy and a poor tax structure can improve its appeal when determined to change its policies,’ as Chief Executive put it. As a result, Louisiana climbed to No. 7 in the magazine’s 2015 list of ‘Best States for Business’ from No. 9 in 2014.”
The Silver Shovel is a runner-up recognition to the Gold Shovel award winners, which this year include Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and Nevada. The awards honor states with the most significant impact from their 10 leading investment and job creation projects during 2014.
Listed as Louisiana’s biggest economic development win last year is Computer Science Corp.’s $34 million technology center in Bossier Parish. In total, the projects submitted by Louisiana for the award represent more than $14.5 billion in capital investment and 2,885 new direct jobs, according to Louisiana Economic Development.
“The biggest success for Louisiana’s economy, however, has been diversification, and 2014 punctuated that strength,” Area Development reports.
See the complete report on the magazine’s Gold and Silver Shovel award winners, and get more details on Louisiana’s submissions from LED.
