CEO Guide to Site Selection

#26

Louisiana

CEO Rank on Best & Worst States for Business

BETTING ON CHEM IN THE BAYOU STATE

While the Bayou State was hit hard by the pandemic and Hurricane Ida in August 2021, the promise of new projects and expansions offer great hope. The chemical and logistics industries continue to drive development along the Mississippi River and Gulf Coast. But in cities like New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette, new healthcare andtech developments are starting to rise.

“As we work to strengthen and diversify our economy, I am proud that digital media and software development companies continue to find a home in Louisiana."
John Bel Edwards
Governor

TAXES

0 %

top corporate income tax

# 0

on the Tax Foundation’s State Business Tax Climate Index ranking

EDUCATION

0 %

of students graduated high school in 2019

0 %

of adults age 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or higher

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

0 %

RIGHT TO WORK STATE

Yes

QUALITY OF LIFE

# 0

POPULATION GROWTH

0 %

increase between 2010 and 2020

KEY INCENTIVES

LED FastStart: Nationally recognized workforce training program that offers customized employee recruiting, screening and training solutions at no cost to eligiblecompanies.

Angel Investor Tax Credit: Offers up to a 25% tax credit for individual investors who invest in early-stage, wealth-creating businesses that seek startup and expansioncapital.

Industrial Tax Exemption: Offers a property tax abatement for up to 10 years on a manufacturers’ eligible new capital expenditures.

Quality Jobs: Offers up to a 6% rebate on annual pay- roll expenses for up to 10 years and tiered a state sales/ use tax rebate on capital expenses, or a 1.5% investment taxcredit, for qualified jobs.

EDCs

Louisiana Economic Development
opportunitylouisiana.com

Baton Rouge Area Chamber
brac.org

Greater New Orleans, Inc. Regional Economic Development
gnoinc.org

HIGHLIGHTED PROGRAM OR INITIATIVE

In October 2021, Louisiana Economic Development launched the Diversity in Entrepreneurship initiative to accelerate growth in second-stage minority and women-owned businesses. The initiative will focus on providing strategic benefits such as building manage ment teams, sustaining growth and identifying new opportunities.

BIG DEALS

  • International-Matex Tank Terminals announced in March 2021 it will expand its headquarters in New Orleans and create 42 new jobs with an annual salary of $133,000.
  • Lineage Logistics announced in April 2021 a $42 million expansion at the Port of New Orleans.
  • Louisiana Green Fuels, a subsidiary of Strategic Biofuels, announced in April 2021 it will create a $700 million renewable diesel refinery in Caldwell Parish.
  • Hunt Forest Products announced in July 2021 it will develop a new $240 million sawmill and create 130 new jobs in Bienville Parish.
  • BioLab announced in June 2021 it will construct a $170 million chlorine manufacturing plant in Westlake.
  • Amazon announced in June 2021 a $200 million robotics center and 1,000 new jobs in Baton Rouge.
  • Canfor announced in June 2021 a $160 million lumber plant and 130 new jobs in DeRidder.

BIG COMPANIES

One Fortune 500 company headquartered in state:

  • Entergy (Fortune 500 headquarters)

Other large companies include:

  • Lumen Technologies ExxonMobil
  • Dow Chemical
  • Westlake Chemical
  • Amazon
  • POOL