On October 14-15, the Louisiana Economic Alliance for Development held its 2025 Conference in Baton Rouge at L'Auberge. This conference brought together economic development professionals and organizations from around the state to network and gain insights to help our communities and state continue to move forward.
The leadoff Keynote Address was given by Secretary Susan Bourgeois of Louisiana Economic Development. Secretary Bourgeois highlighted several achievements and changes that have taken place since she was appointed by Governor Landry 20 months ago. Some of these achievements and changes were organizationally specific, while others were specific to Louisiana. Here is a list of the items she highlighted.
Tax reforms that were passed in the legislature allowed Louisiana to go from 31st in the nation to 18th in having a favorable tax climate ranking.
There has been approximately 70 billion dollars of investment in Louisiana. This includes the 17.5 billion dollar Woodside LNG development in Lake Charles, the 10 billion dollar Meta facility in Richland Parish, and the 5.8 billion dollar Hyundia ultra-low-carbon-steel plant near Donaldsonville. These are projects where decisions have been made and papers signed.
According to Area Development Magazine, Louisiana has broken into the top 10 states for doing business, coming in at number 9. In the survey of national Site Selectors, Louisiana earned a total of 6 top 10 rankings.
Louisiana's House Speaker, Phillip Devillier, spoke on "Legislative Reforms that are Positioning Louisiana for Success". Education reforms have elevated Louisiana from being ranked 49th for education to being ranked 32nd. Devillier reiterated that Louisiana's tax reform caused us to come in at 18th in the nation for business climate. Changes in DOTD, insurance reform, and a standstill budget have all strengthened our state's positioning.
Many presenters highlighted the changes that have come to Louisiana's business environment and the tremendous innovative programs that have been created to foster business sustainability, expansion, and development. The overall takeaway from this conference is, "It's a great day to be in Louisiana"!