Louisiana gets Silver Shovel Award for economic development

Louisiana has a Silver Shovel Award from “Area Development” magazine for the sixth consecutive year.  That award is for outstanding economic development by states of 3 million to 5 million residents. Also receiving the award this year are Alabama and Kentucky.

The three states won their awards on the basis of significant impacts from their 10 leading investment and job creation projects in 2014.

Officials of the Louisiana Department of Economic Development said the state’s top 10 projects last year represent a combined investment of more than $14.5 billion and direct creation of 2,885 jobs.

Louisiana’s top 10 were led by Yuhuang Chemical’s decision to build a methanol manufacturing complex in St. James Parish and Cheniere Energy’s expansion of its liquefied natural gas export facility in Cameron Parish.

Other major Louisiana projects included CGI’s technology center and Perficient’s software development center, both in Lafayette Parish.

Also included were 4th Source’s software development and IT corporate headquarters relocation to Jefferson Parish; AM Agrigen Industries’ fertilizer plant in St. Charles Parish; Castleton Commodities International’s methanol manufacturing plant in Plaquemines Parish, and Venture Global LNG’s liquefaction processing complex and export terminal in Cameron Parish.

In Bossier City, there is the CSC Technology Center. In Webster Parish, there is IntegriCo’s plastic composite railroad-tie manufacturing facility.