Louisiana was awarded a 2018 Silver Shovel Award by Area Development magazine for its economic development efforts last year.
The Gold and Silver Shovel Awards are given to states based on the significance of economic development wins—based on weighted criteria—from the past year as well as the number of jobs created. The 10 projects submitted by Louisiana represent more than $3.9 billion in capital investment and 3,074 new direct jobs, according to Louisiana Economic Development.
The state’s top projects included DXC Technology’s 2,000-job Digital Transformation Center in New Orleans and two industry announcements with large capital investment components—Lotte Chemical’s $1.13 billion plant expansion and headquarters relocation in Lake Charles and Wanhua Chemical’s selection of Louisiana for a $1.12 billion chemical complex.
This is the eighth time in nine years Louisiana has won either a gold or silver, earning awards six consecutive years (2010-2016) during the term of former Gov. Bobby Jindal.
