Business and Industry

Northwest Louisiana is Open for Business and on the forefront of the state’s economic growth. Business expansion is occurring in all sectors, including manufacturing, retail, health care, customer service centers, and all facets of the entertainment and hospitality industry.

In less than three years, the inbound call center U.S. Support Company has expanded to 2,300 employees. Ternium USA, Inc. opened a new operation at the Port of Shreveport-Bossier. This multi-national metal processing company produces metallic-coated and pre-painted steel coils primarily for the construction and OEM markets in the United States and Canada.

Pratt Industries, the world’s largest privately-held paper and packaging company is expanding and opening a Mill Division at the Port of Shreveport-Bossier in November 2008. The mill will recycle the fiber of old corrugated containers and mixed paper waste from large cities as the raw material for corrugated materials. The new plant represents a $150 million investment.

Health care is the area’s leading industry. As outlined elsewhere in this publication, the region serves as the medical hub for north Louisiana, east Texas and south Arkansas.

Employing more than 9,000, the casino industry continues to positively impact our local economy and illuminate our downtown skyline. Recent industry expansions include the Harrah’s Louisiana Downs Racetrack and Casino, a $110 million investment. Diamond Jacks and the Eldorado Casino hotels have recently joined the area’s entertainment district.

New facilities keep the construction industry busy. A $100 million convention center recently opened in downtown Shreveport, and several riverfront projects are complete and attracting more tourists. Complementing the $12.5 million Shreveport Riverview project, which includes a visitor’s center, amphitheater, floating boat docks, and a programmable walk-in fountain is the Louisiana Boardwalk located on the east bank of the river in Bossier City. The boardwalk offers outlet shopping, riverfront dining, and an entertainment district.

Bossier Parish Community College has a new campus and $60 million facility with state-of-the-art communications. Chimp Haven, a sanctuary which provides a permanent home for chimpanzees from the biomedical research community and entertainment industry, has settled into its $4.9 million facility.

A growing pipeline of development opportunities has the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce and our many partners on the go, moving Northwest Louisiana Forward. With more than 30 projects in the works, representing over $600 million capital investment, four million square feet of space, and over 4,700 jobs our economic development professionals stay in constant motion to ensure that Greater Shreveport is a top choice for new business development.

Contact the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce for a complete list of the area’s major employers and manufacturers, and the most up-to-date economic indicators.

Film Industry

Since 2005, the film and television industry has infused more than $380 million into the economy of Northwest Louisiana. Major motion picture productions such as The Guardian (starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher), Premonition (starring Sandra Bullock), Factory Girl (starring Guy Pearce and Sienna Miller), and Mr. Brooks (starring Kevin Costner and Demi Moore) were filmed here. Doubling for locations ranging from Manhattan to Portland, northwest Louisiana has quickly proven it can be “Anywhere USA” – a hard act to follow and clearly an advantage for a community poised to take a lead role in film industry development.

With state-of-the-art infrastructure and production spaces like Mansfield Studios and soundstages StageWorks and StageWest; Louisiana Wave Studio, which offers the only tank with automatically generated waves in the United States, the area has become even more attractive to seasoned filmmakers. In 2006 and 2007, over 20 productions were hosted here, including feature and independent films as well as television series and made-for-TV movies. Most recent productions include Major Movie Star (starring Jessica Simpson), the Great Debaters (starring Denzel Washington), and Mad Money (starring Katie Holmes, Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah).

The cameras are still rolling and we often see movie stars and filmmaking crews at local businesses, restaurants and events, causing excitement among locals and visitors alike.

Residents have also gotten involved in the filmmaking scene in a number of ways, from auditioning to be cast as extras, to making their homes and properties available as potential filming locations. The rapid increase in film and television production shows no signs of abating, as new productions are continually scouting the area for new resources for the film industry. To learn about the latest casting calls, sign up for possible work on a film production, or register your house or other property as a possible film location or housing for cast, visit www.filmnwla.com.

The Robinson Film Center of Louisiana (RFC) – the first film center in the South – is scheduled to open by 2008 in downtown Shreveport. The mission of RFC is to provide a venue for independent, international and classic film not otherwise available in our region, while serving as a resource for film production and film-related education. Aside from daily film screenings and activities, the RFC will host the annual Louisiana Film Festival and offer a wide range of filmmaking-related educational and vocational resources. To learn more, visit www.robinsonfilmcenter.org.

Theatre

The best theatre practitioners from the region can now develop their art the River City Repertory Theatre, thus contributing to our state’s cultural economy. By tapping into an incredibly deep talent pool, River City Rep also benefits the growing film industry in Louisiana. Patrons can now experience the highest caliber of professional theatre – right here in Shreveport!

The River City Rep blends the best of local and national talent. Its temporary home is at The Strand Theatre, the area’s entertainment “jewel” located in downtown Shreveport in the newly designated West Edge arts district. The River City Rep has opened the door to a multitude of opportunities for local students and actors who wish to pursue careers in theatre, while also featuring guest actors, directors and designers from across the nation. To learn more visit www.rivercityrep.org.

Agribusiness

Throughout history, agribusiness has been a significant contributor to the area’s overall economy. Cotton is the number one row crop enterprise in northwest Louisiana. Forestry products are the largest agricultural commodity produced here.

Poultry production is the largest animal agriculture in Louisiana. Beef cattle is the largest animal enterprise in the Shreveport-Bossier area. There is a growing horse industry here as well, with a large portion of it dedicated to recreation.

Wild populations are back in the system, and honeybee removal from walls and structures is on the upswing. Pollination is Louisiana’s biggest asset, with more than $400 million in services to wildlife and agriculture, both commercial and homeowners. Colony leasing still provides additional income to beekeepers and farmers.

Pecans and fruit crops such as peaches, blueberries and mayhaws are also harvested in northwest Louisiana.

Source: LSU Agricultural Center

Manufacturing

More than 250 diverse manufacturers employing more than 20,000 are located in the immediate area. In addition to the automotive segment, Greater Shreveport is home to companies that produce table glassware, towers for wind-generation of electricity, large steel pressure vessels, outdoor cookers, paper and wood products, equipped shelters and towers for telecommunications, and parking lot/garage meter tickets.

Fast-food chains such as McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken rely on a Shreveport-based company to help prepare meals. Frymaster Corporation makes deep-fat fryers and other related stainless steel food preparation equipment, that they ship worldwide.

Louisiana Center for Manufacturing Sciences, a consortium of manufacturers and researchers who develop, test and implement technological innovation in manufacturing sciences, operates in the Shreveport area. The center focuses on micro-manufacturing capabilities.

Building on the momentum and supporting the growth of the present manufacturing base, the Chamber is actively seeking new manufacturers who will ensure high-paying, high-quality jobs for the future. Our area’s low energy costs, excellent distribution characteristics, and productive labor force are just a few of the reasons why manufacturers agree that Louisiana is truly Open for Business.

Distribution
and Transportation

The Greater Shreveport area, located directly on east-west Interstate 20, is a key player in the global business market through a superior network of transportation systems. Some 48 million people can be reached within one day by motor freight from Shreveport-Bossier, which boasts approximately 70 motor freight carriers with 50 terminal buildings.

The Port of Shreveport-Bossier, positioned at the head of the Red River Waterway just four miles south of Shreveport, is a direct shipping gateway to national and international markets. It is also a prime location for the development of industrial manufacturers and distributors as the Caddo-Bossier Port Commission owns and operates the 2,000-acre industrial park. The park receives the necessary water and sewer infrastructure from the City of Shreveport Utilities Department. The port welcomed its 13th tenant, Steelscape, this past year.

Shreveport Regional Airport provides service through four major passenger airlines. In addition, freight carriers Federal Express, UPS, DHL, and others handle eight million pounds of freight each year. The airport also serves as a base for regional jet maintenance operations for Continental Express, which is expected to employ nearly 600 workers in the next few years.

Rail service links key area communities and industrial sites to Canada, Mexico, and the Sun Belt market. Within the City of Shreveport, rail lines serve industrial properties through an intermodal container-loading/unloading facility at the Interport/U.S. Customs Foreign Trade Zone site. Kansas City Southern Railway is expanding its role to have a presence in Canada and Mexico. Rail service is also provided by Union Pacific.

Today’s air, rail, water and roadway networks make northwest Louisiana a major transportation hub. Plus, the outlook for increased industrial and economic development appears very promising with the completion of Interstate 49 from Kansas City to New Orleans, and Interstate 69, the NAFTA Highway, taking shape to connect Canada and Mexico through Shreveport-Bossier. When these projects are complete, Shreveport will be one of only a handful of places in the United States where three major interstate highways intersect.

Sources: The Shreveport Airport Authority and Port of Shreveport-Bossier

Research and Technology

In collaboration with health care providers, academia, entrepreneurs, and the community-at-large, the Biomedical Research Foundation of northwest Louisiana serves the region as a leader in the creation, expansion and support of enterprises that advance health care delivery, medical research and technology, and the advancement of InterTech – a strategy for knowledge-based economic development. The foundation was born of an economic development study initiated by the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce that stressed the importance of diversifying the local economy so that northwest Louisiana could successfully compete in the 21st-century.

InterTech was initiated by the Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana, affiliated with the Virginia K. Shehee Biomedical Research Institute. It is a triangular parcel of 2,400 acres in central Shreveport anchored by three major medical centers – LSU Medical Center in Shreveport to the south, Schumpert Medical Center to the east, and Willis Knighton Medical Center to the west. Although the physical site is located in Shreveport, the intellectual components of the InterTech partnership extend beyond city boundaries. Currently located in the InterTech Science Park are an environmental biotechnology company focusing on the treatment of wastewater; a distributor of medical, safety and laboratory supplies and equipment, a cold sterilant and advancement disinfectant, sanitizers, sterilizers, germicides and decontaminators; and a pharmaceutical product developer and manufacturer.

The Virginia K. Shehee Biomedical Research Institute, a ten-story, 160,000-square-foot research facility with 56 state-of-the-art laboratories, opened in 1994. The institute houses more than 200 researchers, technicians and support personnel working to find cures for such diseases as stroke, cancer, arthritis and Alzheimer’s. The laboratory facilities contain core research space for monoclonal antibody production, oligonucleotide and peptide synthesis, gene cloning, DNA sequencing, high-performance liquid chromatography, tissue culture, positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and electron microscopy. The institute is connected to LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, and the scientists who occupy the facility’s laboratories have implemented a theme-driven, interdepartmental strategy with research teams devoted to studying a variety of diseases involving inflammation and immunology, ischemic disorders, cellular communication, neurosciences, signal transduction, and alcohol and drug abuse. There are also eight laboratories dedicated to the LSU Center of Excellence for Cancer Research.

BioSpace1, a $12.2 million incubator, has opened in the 800-acre InterTech Science Park. Companies that set up in the two-story, 60,000-square-foot facility have the benefit of sharing $500,000 worth of equipment in a core laboratory and having experts analyze their business plans on a yearly basis. Tenants now open at BioSpace1 include Red River Pharma, a research and development and drug manufacturing company; Louisiana Ventures, a venture capital fund; and the offices of Embera NeuroTherapeutics Inc., a company founded by an LSU Health Sciences Center scientist working on medicine to help those with drug addictions. The foundation has a plan to fill the incubator in a couple of years.

According to the Biomedical Research Foundation, the life sciences industry is expected to have the highest job growth in the next ten years and expects the InterTech Science Park to create 6,000 jobs in 25 years.

The Office of Economic Development and Technology Assessment at Louisiana Tech University is a combined technology transfer and industrial liaison office that manages patents and other intellectual properties for the university, and provides assistance to firms and individuals seeking research or licensing assistance. Developmental research in cooperation with government and industry is a natural conduit for technology transfer. The university operates a Technology Transfer Center in Shreveport where technologies are showcased and groups meet to discuss technology issues.
Located at the Louisiana State University at Shreveport is the area’s Center for Business and Economic Research, an important ongoing resource that contributes to the long-term implementation of the area’s strategic action platform, benchmarks, performance measures, and performance audits.

Barksdale Air force Base

Greater Shreveport is proud to claim Barksdale Air Force Base (BAFB) as one of its residents. Barksdale is the largest bomber base in the world, with 63 Stratofortress B-52s. The base is one of only two remaining bases in the United States which fly B-52 missions.

The 2nd Bomb Wing is the host unit and is responsible for B-52 operations and training. Barksdale is also the home of the 8th Air Force Headquarters, and the 917th Wing, which is the largest Air Force Reserve unit in Louisiana. The unit is the only one to fly both the B-52 and A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jet.

Since its dedication in 1933, Barksdale has been a major source of revenue for this region. Its workforce includes approximately 9,500 active duty military, civilians and reservists, making it the largest employer in the area. The base has a payroll of $260 million, and an annual economic impact of nearly $450 million.

The approximately 7,000 active duty and reserve personnel assigned to Barksdale, along with their families and the retiree community, comprise the 40,000 people directly related to Barksdale who live and work in northwest Louisiana. The base serves an additional 25,000 active duty members, reservists, retirees and their families outside of the metro area with medical care, commissary privileges, base exchange, and other services.
Barksdale AFB covers some 22,000 acres in Bossier Parish. Eighteen thousand of those acres are dedicated to recreation and a game preserve, which adds to the beauty and adventure of this sportsman’s paradise.

Source: Barksdale Air Force Base

Northwest Louisiana Facts

Location/Economy

• Northwest Louisiana is a ten parish region of nearly 600,000 residents and is the key hub of a tri-state area known as the Ark-La-Tex.
• The region is regularly recognized as being one of the most diversified economies of its size in the southern United States, and has a track record of significant investment and job growth over the last few years.
• Key sectors regionally include health care/life sciences, manufacturing, education, hospitality, military/government, information technology, professional/financial services, call centers, and film/entertainment, the region’s newest, fast-growing arrival.
• A central southern location inland from the coast offers proximity to many markets (nearly 32 million people are within 350 miles of the region), and reduced operating risk.
• Year after year, northwest Louisiana’s competitive business costs and cost of living are highlighted by national publications and research organizations.
• The region remains an “attainment area” for air quality that helps business operate more easily than in many larger metropolitan areas.
• Within a 100-mile radius, nearly 81,000 college students are enrolled in two- and four-year institutions.

Logistics/Distribution

• Access is no problem for companies and residents alike from northwest Louisiana using the region’s well developed multi-modal transportation network.
• Shreveport Regional Airport (SHV) is a designated small hub airport with service offered by five carriers including American Eagle, Continental Express, Delta, Northwest, and leisure travel carrier, Allegiant Air.
• Direct service from SHV is currently available to Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Memphis and Orlando. Numerous private aviation options exist across the region.
• Plans call for northwest Louisiana to be one of only a few areas served by three intersecting interstate highways – interstates 20 and 49, and the proposed Interstate 69.
• Rail service is another strength of the region with service available from two Class I railroads – Union Pacific and Kansas City Southern. Regional rail service includes direct access to growing Mexican rail assets and linkages to western Mexico ports.
• Port accessibility to the world is available through the region’s three inland barge ports on the Red River Waterway System, and the numerous deep-water ports of the Louisiana Gulf Coast.

Telecom and Utility Infrastructure

• Northwest Louisiana offers the competitive fiber-optic and telecommunications networks and connectivity required to be successful in today’s economy.
• The region continues to boast some of the most competitive utility rates in the United States for both electricity and natural gas. The region is served by several investor-owned utilities as well as rural cooperatives. In many parts of the region, companies set the choice of providers.
• Additional utility capacity is being developed in and around the region and planned to ensure that area businesses and residents have the power and gas needed to grow and succeed.

Quality of Life

• The region offers a convenient combination of both urban and rural environments, allowing residents to work in one and live in the other without extended commutes.
• Nearly 80 percent of regional residents have a commute of 30 minutes or less to work.
• Louisiana and our region are known as a Sportsman’s Paradise, where great chances for hunting, fishing and outdoor sports are plentiful and valued.
• Northwest Louisiana is a key arts and cultural hub and boasts strong and established organizations including a resident symphony, opera and ballet companies, and venues for traveling shows, live music and visual arts.
• The region offers an active season of festivals and events including a number of state and national prominence.
• Sports events abound in the region and include professional hockey (Mudbugs), baseball (Sports), and arena football (Battlewings) as well as many youth leagues in nearly any sport.
• The region is also among the top gaming markets in the United States with five riverboats hotel/casinos and a thoroughbred racetrack.
• Northwest Louisiana’s school districts are among the best in the state, and nearly all of the state’s five-star schools are located here.