It’s about jobs.

Furthermore, it’s about the people who work the jobs in the River Region and turn around and invest back in local communities through schooling and commerce.

That’s why the news was so great this month when the Port of South Louisiana announced it set a cargo-volume record in 2014.

“More tonnage translates into more throughput by our industries, which usually translates into more jobs,” Port Executive Director Paul Aucoin told L’OBSERVATEUR. “Also, there are $12 billion of announced future projects in the Port’s jurisdiction.”

The potential growth, although never guaranteed, would make 2014’s record just the beginning.

Aucoin said the announcements may mean many new, high-paying jobs will soon be available for River Region residents, correlating with the estimated $12 billion in construction costs for labor and material.

2014’s record total was propelled, Port officials said, by increases in grain, chemicals/fertilizers, crude oil, ores/phosphate rock, petrochemicals and steel products.

“I’m so very pleased and excited about the record-breaking tonnage figures,” Aucoin said. “They illustrate the Port’s vitality and the importance of the Port and the River Region to our state and our country.”

The Port of South Louisiana is a 54-mile port district on the Mississippi River, encompassing the River Region.

Port leaders said their facilities consistently handle more than a quarter billion short tons of cargo annually, ranking it the largest tonnage port district in the Western Hemisphere, the nation’s greatest grain exporter and the No. 1 energy transfer port in the United States.

With strong leadership and a record growth, the Port remains one of our region’s most treasured assets. And the future promises more growth, which will benefit many here at home.