The new executive director of the Baton Rouge North Economic Development District plans to focus on workforce training as way to attract more businesses to north Baton Rouge.
Jerry Jones, Jr., who was hired by the BRNEDD board Nov. 1 after a months-long search, says he believes the agency can take the lead in trying to develop synergies and greater communication between the area’s community college system and two universities to make sure workers are getting the training they need—which is the first step toward making the area attractive to potential employers.
“Workforce training is a huge thing,” says Jones, who will leave his current post as economic development director in St. John the Baptist Parish to assume the new position. “We have Southern, LSU and BRCC so we really shouldn’t have a workforce issue. I think it’s a communication problem and just connecting the dots.”
Jones, a native of Alexandria and graduate of Southern, says he was attracted to the BRNEDD position because he sees it as a great opportunity to help move north Baton Rouge forward in a positive direction.
He says his first action will be to call a meeting of key stakeholders in the community and break down the silos that have kept them from working together more effectively.
“The tall task is getting everyone to—if not remove the silos—then, at least, build a window so they can open them and talk to each other,” he says.
Though the BRNEDD recently completed a strategic plan and is getting ready to vote on adopting the plan, Jones says he has asked the board to hold off on voting just yet because he would like to make some changes to the plan. He says they are mostly semantic changes but are important, particularly if he is the one who is charged with implementing the plan.
“The current language in the plan talks about the organization creating jobs and I don’t see it as our role to create jobs,” he says. “We have to create infrastructures and environments, where investors come in and feel comfortable and enticed to create jobs.”
Jones has been offered an $80,000 contract with the BRNEDD, significantly more than the $60,000-$65,000 at which the position was advertised.
“The job description that was posted said $60,000-65,000 but underneath that, which I don’t think folks really read, it said it was negotiable based off of experience and I was making $82,000 in my previous job,” he says. “So that was the discussion and the committee met in executive session and made the offer to me based on that.”
