The Louisiana Development Ready Communities program helps participants become more competitive for new investment and jobs by guiding selected communities through the process of creating and implementing a strategic economic development plan. By following its plan for multiple years, participants leverage local assets and address unique challenges to empower business growth in their communities.

“We congratulate the community and business leaders who have worked toward this certification for Lafourche Parish as the Bayou Region’s latest Louisiana Development Ready Community,” LED Secretary Don Pierson said. “This program is an important asset for building new business investments and securing quality jobs. We anticipate it will make a real difference for communities in Lafourche Parish, as participants have gained insights into how to best position their parish and implement plans that will accelerate economic growth.”

To secure the LDRC designation, parish leaders joined tourism partners, chamber of commerce officials and other stakeholders across the area for a planning effort that began in February of this year.
“Lafourche Parish Government is very excited to receive this certification from Louisiana Economic Development,” Parish President Archie Chaisson said. “Being designated as a certified Louisiana Development Ready Community indicates that we have done a deep dive into our parish and its resources. We really appreciate the number of parish residents and business owners that spent time to complete the survey. Getting the input of our citizens helps guide our future development while keeping the best interests of our residents in mind.”
“Going through LED’s Development Ready Communities Program provided Lafourche Parish Government the chance to really look at our assets and strengths, as well as areas of opportunity,” said Kristi Lumpkin, Lafourche Parish’s grants and economic development director. “The goal of the program is to ensure we are ready to meet any opportunity for growth from a business and a residential standpoint. We received great feedback from our citizens about how they would like to see our parish continue to move forward towards that goal.”
For more information about the LDRC program, visit the LED website or contact LED Director of Community Competitiveness Stacey Duvic at stacey.duvic@la.gov or 225.342.4703.

About LED
Louisiana Economic Development is responsible for strengthening the state’s business environment and creating a more vibrant economy. It is the only state agency in the U.S. accredited by the International Economic Development Council, boasting award-winning programs like LED FastStart, rated the No. 1 customized workforce training program in the U.S. 13 years in a row. In 2021, LED attracted 64 new economic development projects representing over 18,100 new direct and indirect jobs, 9,700 retained jobs and more than $20.5 billion in new capital investment. Explore how LED cultivates jobs and economic opportunity for the people of Louisiana and employers of all sizes at OpportunityLouisiana.com.