ERF Wireless, which has built a broadband wireless network across the state, is set to open an office next month in the Louisiana Business and Technology Center. The Texas-based company plans to start off with two employees, says Charlie D’Agostino, LBTC executive director. “They were recruited here as part of our ‘soft landings program,'” D’Agostino says. “That’s for companies that want to come to Louisiana but don’t know how many people they need or how much space they’ll need.”
ERF will lease space on a month-by-month basis until they determine their exact staffing needs and what part of the city they want to be in. ERF has been working with several local clients, including Louisiana State Police, Iberville Bank and Schlumberger. Robert “Bobby Mack” McClung, CEO of the Internet services division, says ERF plans to aggressively roll out its services this year for banks and oil and gas companies. “We’re opening a satellite office, but we expect to expand rapidly into full customer service and sales,” he says. McClung estimates by the end of the year ERF will have 10 to 12 local employees and subcontractors. For a Business Report profile on ERF, click here.—Timothy Boone
