River Region labeled one of country’s strongest corridors

A top corporate site selector labeled St. Charles Parish and the River Region as one of the country’s strongest corridors for inland water industrial activity during a recent tour of the area sponsored by Greater New Orleans Inc. GNO Inc. and business partners in St. Charles, St. James and St. John the Baptist parishes hosted a group of the nation’s leading site selectors last week on a Familiarization Tour of the 10-parish Greater New Orleans region. The tour educated patrons on the assets and opportunities available in St. Charles and the River Region in an effort to promote it as a viable market for business growth. The tour also focused on target industries such as advanced manufacturing, creative and digital media, energy and international trade. Mark Sweeney, senior principal with Greenville, S.C.-based McCallum Sweeney Consulting, was among seven site selectors on the tour. Sweeney, who represents industrial clients, says his clients are becoming increasingly interested in multiple modes of transportation, including water-borne, because of the need to be flexible in how goods are transported. One of the strengths of the River Parishes is access to the river for transporting goods, he said. Sweeny joined the tour as a fact-finding mission for himself and was not representing clients. “So [the River Region] is a real strength for the country; having a corridor like this,” he says. “This is a very active industrial river corridor. There are a lot of available properties that would provide waterfront and direct water and potential barge access.”