EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEMaura Donahue Board Chair DonahueFavret Contractors
Tara Hernandez Chair-elect of the Board JCH Development
Michael Hecht President and CEO Greater New Orleans, Inc.
Phil Gunn Treasurer & Finance Chair Postlethwaite & Netterville
Mark Spansel Secretary Adams and Reese
Tommy Faucheux Chair, Policy Committee The Dow Chemical Company
Bill Hoffman Immediate Past Chair Woodward Interests
Mike DeBoer GE Digital
Mike Illanne Chevron
Patricia LeBlanc LeBlanc Fantaci Villio
Gay LeBreton Chaffe & Associates
Carlo Mulvenna Pan American Life Insurance Group
Greg Rusovich Transoceanic Development
ASHTON RYAN First NBC Bank
JAY SEALE Seale & Ross
Ronnie Slone The Slone Group
Guy Williams Gulf Coast Bank & Trust
BOARD OF DIRECTORSDanica Ansardi Ansardi Financial
JUSTIN AUGUSTINE TransDev
Jerry Bologna Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission
Susan Bonnett Northshore Community Foundation
1100 Poydras Street, Suite 3475 New Orleans, LA 70163
504.527.6900 | www.gnoinc.org | @GNOINC
Patricia Brister St. Tammany Parish Government
Sean Burkes Burkes Engineering
Henry Coaxum Coaxum Enterprises
KARL CONNOR BP America
Richard Cortizas Jones Walker
Karen Deblieux Capital One Bank
Greg FEirn LCMC Health
DONNA FRAICHE Baker Donelson
Henry Friloux Echo Ventures
DAVID GAINES Ochsner Health System
Cherreen Gegenheimer Jefferson Parish
Melissa Gibbs Gibbs Construction
Lee Giorgio Select Properties
MICHELLE GOBERT Signs Now
Rick Haas Latter & Blum
Ben Hales New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans
Don Hingle Business First Bank
Karl Hoefer IBERIABANK
Michael Holly Holly & Smith Architects
Leigh King Cox Communications
Bill Langenstein Chaffe McCall
LOUIS LAURICELLA Lauricella Land Company
Wayne Lee Stone Pigman
John Little International Properties
Gary Lorio Whitney Bank
KEN MARNOCH Shell
Ti Martin Commander’s Palace
Steve Molnar Entergy
Todd Murphy Jefferson Chamber of Commerce
Warren Murrell Peoples Health
Roger Ogden Ogden Development & Investments
George Pivach Venice Port Complex
Graham Ralston Regions Bank
Stephen Reuther St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce
Natalie Robottom St. John the Baptist Parish
Taryn Rogers Valero Bobby Savoie Geocent
Melonie Stewart Entergy
Lizette Terral JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.
Mike Tillman Rain CII
Dan Wagner Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
PAST CHAIR EMERITUSDale Benoit Print All
Bill Hines Jones Walker
Jim Hudson First Bankers Bank
Leslie Jacobs Strategic Comp
Marty Mayer Stirling Properties
Suzanne Mestayer ThirtyNorth Investments
Bill Oliver William A. Oliver Enterprises
Patrick Quinlan Ochsner Health System
Henry Shane Favrot & Shane
BOARD MEMBER FAVITORDavid Darragh Reily Foods
David Fennelly Associated Terminals
Wan Kim Smoothie King
Jay Lapeyre Laitram
Mary Matalin Political Advisor
Matt Wisdom Turbosquid
UNIVERSITY EX-OFFICIOF. King Alexander Louisiana State University
John Crain Southeastern LA University
Joan Davis Delgado Community College
Dale Doty River Parishes Community College
Michael Fitts Tulane University
Larry Hollier LSU Health Sciences Center
Walter Kimbrough Dillard University
Earl Meador South Central LA Technical College
David “Buck” Landry University of Holy Cross
John Nicklow University of New Orleans
C. Reynold Verret Xavier University
William Wainright Northshore Community Technical College
Tommy Warner Nunez Community College
Kevin Wildes Loyola University
ADVISORSAndy Kopplin Greater New Orleans Foundation Kevin Lin Entrepreneur Fernando Rivera South Louisiana Veterans Health Care System
Ryan Seal Washington Parish Economic Development Foundation
PINNACLE INVESTORSCapital One, N.A.ChevronCity of New OrleansEntergyJPMorgan ChaseThe Kresge FoundationLouisiana Economic DevelopmentLouisiana Office of Community DevelopmentNew Orleans Business AllianceThe Rockefeller FoundationU.S. Economic Development AdministrationWalton Family Foundation
CAPSTONE INVESTORSBlue Cross and Blue Shield of LouisianaThe Dow Chemical CompanyFirst NBC BankIBERIABANKJefferson Parish GovernmentJones WalkerRegions BankSt. Tammany Parish GovernmentWhitney Bank
PILLAR INVESTORSAdams and ReeseBart’s Office Furniture RepairsBiz New OrleansBoh Bros. / BroadmoorBP AmericaFavrot & Shane CompaniesGoldring & Woldenberg FoundationsLaitramLCMC HealthNew Orleans Saints and New Orleans PelicansOchsner Health SystemPeoples HealthReily Foods CompanyShell Exploration & ProductionStirling PropertiesWWL-TV
ANCHOR INVESTORSAssociated TerminalsAtmos EnergyBaker DonelsonBanner Automotive GroupBarriere ConstructionThe Boeing CompanyBusiness First BankCanal BargeChalmette RefiningCheniere EnergyCLECOCoats RoseCommander’s PalaceCORE Construction ServicesCox CommunicationsCrescent Bank & TrustCrystal Clear ImagingDelta PersonnelDoerr FurnitureEast Jefferson General HospitalGE DigitalGeocentGibbs ConstructionGoldman Sachs 10,000 Small BusinessesGulf Coast Bank & TrustHannis T. BourgeoisHarrah’s New Orleans CasinoHolly & Smith ArchitectsHyatt Regency New OrleansInternational Matex TankTerminalsJefferson Business CouncilKelly Hart & PitreKent Design BuildLakelawn Metairie Funeral HomeLandis Construction Company
Latter & BlumLauricella Land CompanyLLOG ExplorationMcMath ConstructionNANONew Orleans Baby CakesNorthshore Business CouncilOgden Development & InvestmentsOut of this World ConsultantsPan-American Life Insurance GroupPhelps DunbarPlaquemines Association of Business & IndustryPlaquemines Parish GovernmentPlaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal DistrictPostlethwaite & NettervillePyramid AudioRain CIIRoy Anderson Corp.Sheraton New Orleans HotelSmoothie KingSoutheastern Louisiana UniversitySouthwest AirlinesSt. Charles Parish GovernmentSt. James Parish GovernmentSt. John the Baptist Parish GovernmentStone Pigman Walther WittmannSuperior Energy ServicesTransdev ServicesTransoceanic DevelopmentTulane UniversityTurner IndustriesUNO Research & Technology FoundationValeroWaldemar S. Nelson & Co.Woodward Design+Build
CORNERSTONE INVESTORS365 ConnectAdvantage Capital PartnersAlliant InsuranceAquiana Springs WaterAssociated Builders & ContractorsBellwether TechnologyBrennan’s RestaurantChaffe & AssociatesChenevert ARCHITECTSCity of KennerCornerstone Government AffairsCorporate RealtyCory, Tucker & LarroweCrescent Crown DistributingCSRSDaul Insurance AgencyDonahueFavret ContractorsFishman HaygoodFlorida Parishes BankGameloftGlobalstarHarbor Towing & FleetingHRI PropertiesHumanaHuntington IngallsKean MillerThe Lemoine CompanyLevel 3 CommunicationsLookfarMele PrintingThe Mosaic CompanyNOLA Motorsports ParkPhillips 66Pond & CompanySalmen CompanySouth Louisiana BankSt. Bernard Parish GovernmentStolthaven – New OrleansSyncom Space ServicesTangipahoa Parish GovernmentTCI Packaging
TLC Engineering for ArchitectureTrapolin-Peer ArchitectsTwitterUTSIVenice Port ComplexWashington Parish GovernmentWegmann Dazet & Company
PARTNER INVESTORSAdvantous ConsultingAll South Consulting EngineersAnchor 36 Trucking & LogisticsAssociated Office SystemsAudubon Nature InstituteBrian Gibbs DevelopmentCarver, Darden, Koretzky, Tessier,Finn, Blossman & AreauxChaffe McCallClear Channel AirportsCoca-Cola Bottling CompanyColdwell BankerCon-Tech InternationalDCL Mooring & RiggingDidier ConsultantsDixie MillThe Domain CompaniesDuplantis Design GroupDurr Heavy ConstructionEcho VenturesThe Ehrhardt GroupEnwave New OrleansErnst & YoungFidelity BankFM ServicesGulf Coast Office ProductsHertz Investment GroupHollis CompaniesHome BankThe Hornsby GroupHUB InternationalInternational PropertiesJ.V. Burkes & AssociatesJCH DevelopmentJefferson Capital PartnersJefferson Chamber of CommerceJones Lang LaSalleThe Kearney CompaniesKPMGLaPorte CPAs & Business AdvisorsLeBlanc PartnersMahl & AssociatesMedical Executive PartnersMetairie Bank and Trust CompanyN.O. Steamboat Co./Gray Line ToursNorthwestern Mutual FinancialOMI Environmental SolutionsOmni Air TransportORX ExplorationPalmisano ContractorsPat O’Brien’s BarPeperone PitreThe Personnel Consulting GroupRE/MAX Commercial BrokersSelect PropertiesSizeler Thompson BrownArchitectsThe Slone GroupSouthgroup Insurance – Gulf CoastSumit CreditsThirtyNorth InvestmentsThreeSixtyEightVenice Port CoalitionVintage Church of New OrleansWaggonner & Ball ArchitectsWhere Y’ArtWOW Café & Wingery & PJ’sCoffee of New Orleans
GNO, Inc. Named Top EDO in America Site Selection
GNO, Inc. has 2 Named to Top 50 List Consultant Connect
“Most Dynamic City in America” Worth Magazine
Greater New Orleans is #2 in Total Corporate Facility Wins Site Selection
#2 Most Cost Friendly City KPMG
#2 “Best City in America”, #7 CIty in the World, #1 City for Food in the USA, #2 City For Culture in the USA Travel + Leisure
#1 city in USA in International Tourism Growth National Travel and Tourism Office
#1 City for Most Efficient Public Spending WalletHub
#2 Metro for Lowest Cost of Business, #2 Metro for Entrepreneurship Leaders, #2 Metro for Logistics Leaders Business Facilities
Louisiana FastStart Ranks #1 in the USA for 7th Year in a Row Business Facilities
#6 City for Happiest Workers in the USA Indeed.com
#7 City Destination in the USA for Millennials Realtor.com
#7 Top Metro by Total Wins (South Central) Site Selection
New Orleans is #4 MOST Affordable Destination in the USA U.S. News and World Report
#3 City in the South for Major Projects Southern Business and Development
#9 Most Generous City Barna
#6 State Most Tax Friendly State (Louisiana) Kiplinger
#5 State (Louisiana) for Business Area Development
#2 State Wins per Capita (South Central), #6 State by Wins per Capita (USA), #7 State for Business Site Selection
SEE THE FULL LIST AT GNOINC.ORG/RANKINGS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2016 INVESTORS
& FUNDERS ECONOMIC RANKINGS 2016 2016
GNO GLOBALANNUAL LUNCHEON 2017
GNOINC.ORG/ANNUALLUNCHEON
Dear Friends,
Greater New Orleans has always been global. Our political history is French and Spanish, with large English, German and other influences. Demographically, New Orleans evolved as a rich “ethnic gumbo,” with contributions from Africa to Scandinavia, and Portugal to Asia. Economically, New Orleans was founded as a global port, with the Mississippi providing access for the United States to the world, and the Crescent City as the nexus of the Latin American economy.
But a few decades ago, we began to let our global birthright slip. Starting in the late 1960s, international energy businesses migrated to Houston. Miami took the mantle of “Gateway to the Americas.” And the Atlanta airport, thanks to a former Louisiana airline – Delta – became the busiest in the world. New Orleans didn’t become less loved by the world – that’s unthinkable – but it became less relevant. Greater New Orleans, once a hub of commerce and industry, became more of a cultural spoke.
But following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, something remarkable happened. Fueled by billions in investment and even greater personal commitment, our region began to rebuild – but not the previous iteration of New Orleans from August 28, 2005. We went “back to the future,” and began to resurrect a New Orleans that was once again a world-class region. Forthrightly addressing the syndrome of challenges that had undermined us for decades – from education to corruption to economic development – we began to build a Greater New Orleans that was once again global in aspiration and relevance.
Our efforts resoundingly paid off this year, when British Airways announced it would start direct New Orleans - London service in March 2017, the first direct, non-stop service to Europe since 1982. British Airways was joined by Condor, which will start service in May to Frankfurt. Copa Airlines has also begun nonstop service to Panama City, reopening the Gateway to the Americas. Louis Armstrong International Airport now has more international destinations than ever, and is one of the fastest growing airports in the nation. The international capstone on our revitalized airport is the new terminal under construction, designed by star architect César Pelli, of Argentina.
Greater New Orleans is going global in other substantive ways, as well. Spurred by some of the most attractive business conditions in the country, companies from around the world are investing tens of billions in southeastern Louisiana, making us #1 in the USA for “foreign direct investment” per capita. Dyno Nobel from Australia; Yuhuang from China; Cajo from Finland; Gameloft from France; Denka from Japan; IT Minerals from Mexico; EuroChem from Russia; Blade Dynamics from England. We even got Collision, an Irish-owned technology conference, to move to New Orleans from Las Vegas.
But perhaps most significantly, people from around the world are voting with their feet. Greater New Orleans led the nation in 2016 in international tourism growth, at a stunning 37%. And New Orleans was #1 in the USA in foreign-born migration growth, over 25% (beating out Washington DC). It is one thing for Travel + Leisure to name New Orleans a “Top Ten City in the World;” it is quite another to see this accolade borne out in actual tourism and migration patterns.
In recognition of this return to global form, the theme of GNO, Inc.’s 2017 Annual Meeting is “GNO Global.”
Thank you for making GNO global again.
Michael Hecht President & CEO
This past year was a busy one for the Business Development team, including the announcement of new projects with investments in excess of $8.5B that will bring over 1,000 jobs to the Greater New Orleans region.
Moreover, following years as a GNO, Inc. priority, a regional partnership landed British Airways and Condor, as they announced nonstop flights to London and Frankfurt – the first direct flights to Europe since 1982.
Finally, GNO, Inc. was a lead on the team that moved Collision, the fastest growing U.S. tech conference, from Las Vegas. In its first year, Collision attracted 13,000+ attendees from 109 countries
MULTI-YEAR PRIORITIESGNO, INC.PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 20162016
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT•WORLDOFWORK&ITEVERYWHERE–Implemented to 60 educators who impact nearly 30,000 elementary and high school students
•GNOCAREERGUIDES–Showcases high-wage, high-demand occupations in Greater New Orleans
Organizational AWARD•GNO, Inc. ranked a “TopEconomicDevelopmentOrganizationintheUSA”, (one of 11 recognized out of 25,000 nationwide) [Site Selection]
INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS•NewdirectflightstoLondon(BritishAirways),Frankfurt(CondorAirlines),andHonduras(ChoiceAire)
•PartnershipsestablishedacrossbusinessandpoliticalcommunityinLAandGulfCoast
•Fouryearsofanalysisandsalestoairlines
FLOOD PROTECTION & RESILIENCE•Over$233milliontoimplementresilienceand
watermanagementprojectsinSELa.•RESTOREActFinalized,providingfundingfor
implementationoftheCoastalMasterPlan•FederalMOUtoExpediteCoastalPermits
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT•WorldofWork&ITEverywhereimplementedtoeducatorswhoimpactnearly30,000elementaryandhighschoolstudents
•GNOCareerGuidesproducedshowcasinghigh-wage,high-demandcareersinGreaterNewOrleans
STATE FISCAL REFORM•Keypolicyitemshavebeenimplemented,
includingTOPSreform,expandingcomputersciencetrainingandrequiringsalestax
collectionsoninternetsales•Co-chairedGovernorJonBelEdwardsEconomicDevelopmentTransitionTeam
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT•NextGenCouncilfamiliarizationtripswereheldinSt.BernardParishandtheNorthshore
•NewpartnershipdevelopedwithregionalYoungProfessionalOrganizations
• InauguralNOLAMade,a“homecoming”eventforNewOrleansexpats
THE NEW ORLEANS BRAND•Co-chairofthe2018TricentennialMediaand
BrandingCommittee•Ledprojecttoestablishthebrandandvisionof
theNorthshoreofthefuture•Over225mentionsinlocalpressandover50in
nationalandinternationalpress
RESEARCH•WATERMANAGEMENTSTATEOFTHESECTORREPORT–Sponsored by Chevron, the Water Management “State of the Sector” details the 40,000+ jobs available in coastal restoration, levee management and other large environmental projects through 2025
1,081NEW JOBS
280 DIRECT
801 INDIRECT
$ 8 . 5 BIN NEW INVESTMENT
FROM ANNOUNCED PROJECTS IN THE GREATER NEW ORLEANS REGION
O V E R
ECOSYSTEM DEVELOPMENT•NEWORLEANSSTARTUPFUND – Supported by GNO, Inc., the NOSF funded nine deals in 2016. Since 2010, the fund has invested $1.75 million in over 25 local companies that in turn have raised over $24 million
•ENTREPRENEURIALECOSYSTEM–Collecting data from all of the regional entrepreneurial organizations, GNO, Inc. produced an analysis of the successes of the ecosystem over the past decade and the challenges to be addressed next
•PANAMASUPERREGIONCANVAS – GNO, Inc. developed and led the first-ever international Super Region Canvas benchmarking trip, with 105 business leaders from GNO, Baton Rouge, Lafayette and the Bayou Region all traveling to Panama City
PUBLIC POLICY• INTERNETSALES – Legislation
to require Louisiana businesses to collect sales tax on internet sales was signed into law, paving the way for Amazon to announce tax collections on sales in Louisiana. Potential value of uncollected sales taxes in Louisiana is estimated at $1.2B and growing
• INCENTIVES – Louisiana’s most valuable job creating incentives, including Quality Jobs and Digital Media, were protected during the course of the three legislative sessions dealing with Louisiana’s structural budget deficit
•NFIP – Reactivated the Coalition for Sustainable Flood Insurance (CSFI) to develop policy solutions to keep flood insurance affordable and improve the sustainability of the program, and identified eight key areas for reform
•CRIMETECHTASKFORCE– GNO, Inc. harnessed the talent of local technology companies to form a group dedicated to technology-led business process improvements for the NOPD. The first three projects identified by the Task Force will put the equivalent of 40 police officers back on the street, and are currently being implemented
MARKETING•Over 225mentionsinlocalpress
and over50innationalandinternationalpress
•Highlights included Bloomberg, Washington Post, Politico, CBS News, Yahoo, Forbes, Travel and Leisure, Worth Magazine, NBA.com, The Hill, CNBC, and more
Plaquemines ParishLNG FACILITY
Orleans Parish LIFE SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY
Regional INTERNATIONAL AIR SERVICE
RegionalTECHNOLOGY & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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B E S T T O I N V E S T
From Site Selection magazine, May 2016
The Mac Awards
b y P A T T Y R A S M U S S E N
Main Story
Share
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The founder of Conway and Site Selection magazine, McKinley “Mac” Conway, once said, “We arean integral part of a great system that provides a better quality of life for the people of the world. Thissystem develops productive facilities to meet evergrowing needs for food, shelter, clothing andessential services. It provides jobs that sustain families. It pays for medical, education andgovernment services for communities. Without this vital system there would be chaos.
“Specifically, we provide an important communications link between productive companies and thoseseeking to attract them who represent cities, states and nations around the world. We are part of thedevelopment process. We play a role in the future. And we help bring a better quality of life to areastoday.”
I love the passion behind those words. Mac Conway had a passion for making things better — in hiscommunity, his state, in the world. He recognized that same passion in the economic developerswho worked day in and day out to attract the investment that would help the people in theircommunities thrive and prosper. That’s why we use the pages of this magazine to recognize thework of these EDOs.
Site Selection’s newly minted Mac Conway Award for Excellence in Economic Development,formerly known as Top Groups, applauds the Top Economic Development Agencies of the previousyear in both metropolitan and micropolitan areas. While not a ranking, objective criteria are used. Weexamine the total number of jobs created and total amount of investment, as well as per capitainvestment and jobs created in the region. Subjectively, we look at unique ways EDOs areaddressing critical issues in their communities. This year’s awardees are tackling everything fromurban food deserts to workforce education.
We recognize that the highlighted groups are just a sampling of the thousands of outstandingeconomic development professionals toiling away in their communities. We salute you all for thecontributions you are making to create a better quality of life for your citizens.
click each logo for more data +
TOP 2015 METRO GROUPS
Regional ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
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