Gov. Edwards Highlights Certification Of Shreveport Industrial Site

 

02/21/2020

LED Certified Sites among nation’s leading inventories of state-sponsored business, industry sites

Gov. John Bel Edwards highlighted the designation of Hunter Industrial Park in Shreveport as an LED Certified Site, making the 135-acre tract near Interstate 220 a leading candidate for projects bringing new capital investment and jobs to Northwest Louisiana. State, regional and local officials celebrated the milestone in a ceremony at nearby Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College.

“The Hunter Industrial Park offers outstanding access to transportation, utility and workforce assets, with more than 1 million people residing within 90 minutes of this site,” Gov. Edwards said. “LED’s collaboration with the property owner, the community college, the City of Shreveport, SWEPCO and the North Louisiana Economic Partnership means our odds for new economic development success in North Shreveport are greatly enhanced. I congratulate our economic development partners for reaching this significant milestone.”

The Hunter Industrial Park site is accessible to U.S. Highway 71 and Interstate 220 via a pair of 100-foot-wide city streets, Corporate Drive and Forum Drive. Additional connections to Interstate 49 (two miles away) and Interstate 20 (3.5 miles away) give the new LED Certified Site premium access for distribution, logistics, manufacturing and other industries.

“The City of Shreveport is excited to announce that the Hunter Industrial Park is now shovel-ready,” Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins said. “This 135-acre heavy-industrial, development-ready site is a valuable new asset in North Shreveport that is sure to attract business to our city.”

“It is great to have another LED Certified Site added to our site selection,” said Caddo Parish Commissioner Steven Jackson, whose District 3 includes the site. “The addition of Hunter Industrial Park as a shovel-ready property makes Caddo Parish more competitive as we proactively seek meaningful economic development and career opportunities for our region.”

The North Louisiana Economic Partnership sponsored Hunter Industrial Park for inclusion in the certified sites program managed by Louisiana Economic Development. With 75 percent of funding from the State of Louisiana and remaining costs shared at the local level, LED Certified Sites undergo rigorous review by a third-party engineering firm. Utility, zoning, geotechnical, environmental, cultural and wetlands evaluations lead to a location suitable for construction within six months of a site decision.

“NLEP is proud to be a partner in certifying the Hunter Industrial Park, which increases opportunities to attract jobs and capital investment to Shreveport and Caddo Parish,” said President Scott Martinez, North Louisiana Economic Partnership. “The LED Certified Site designation highlights Hunter Industrial Park’s many competitive advantages, including its close proximity to I-220, I-49 and I-20 and a robust utility infrastructure.”    

In addition to water and sewer service and site-appropriate zoning from the City of Shreveport, the Hunter Industrial Park offers fiber-optic broadband service from AT&T; electricity from American Electric Power’s Southwestern Electric Power Co., or SWEPCO; and natural gas service from CenterPoint Energy. The property, which may be subdivided into parcels of 25 or more acres, is represented by Paul Draper of Walker-Alley & Associates. Located within a mile of the site, Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College’s Shreveport campus provides key workforce training for industrial employers.

“Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College is honored to play a role in the economic development of Shreveport,” Chancellor Earl W. Meador said. “As businesses begin to consider the benefits of locating at the Hunter Industrial Park, we stand ready to partner with them in developing their workforce and training needs.”

Since 2012, LED’s Economic Development Site Readiness Program, also known as EDRED, has generated 113 LED Certified Sites and equipped Louisiana with one of the largest inventories of state-sponsored certified sites in the U.S. Recent project successes on LED Certified Sites include: Graphic Packaging International in Monroe, Methanex in Geismar, and Medline in Covington.

“Development-ready sites like Hunter Industrial Park enhance our capacity to win projects and promote economic development for our communities,” said AEP SWEPCO’s Eric Basinger, a Shreveport-based economic and business development manager for the company. “I applaud the property owner for having the forethought to certify and clear his property in order to make Hunter Industrial Park more marketable.”

To learn more about the LED Certified Sites Program and process, visit OpportunityLouisiana.com/Sites.

About LED
Louisiana Economic Development is responsible for strengthening the state’s business environment and creating a more vibrant Louisiana economy. LED cultivates jobs and economic opportunity for the people of Louisiana, and promotes business opportunity for employers of all sizes. In 2019, LED attracted more than 80 new economic development projects representing 12,300 new jobs, 15,500 retained jobs and over $8.4 billion in new capital investment. LED’s Small Business Services team assisted more than 9,500 Louisiana small businesses and entrepreneurs in 2019. For more information, visit opportunitylouisiana.com.

SOURCE: https://www.opportunitylouisiana.com/led-news/news-releases/news/2020/02/18/gov.-edwards-highlights-certification-of-shreveport-industrial-site



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