St. Landry Parish branding campaign introduced

A campaign to brand and bring the good news about St. Landry Parish to the forefront was introduced to about 50 people at the St. Landry Economic Development office Thursday.
“We’re Moving Forward” signs are to mark sites were good news is happening.
Bill Rodier, economic development director, said the campaign will reveal “hidden gems” in the parish.
“There were so many things that had been kind of hidden gems within St. Landry Parish that have really never been brought forth before,” he said. “As an economic developer it is your job to look at what those resources are and how do you best capitalize on that.”
The campaign begins with St. Landry Parish Government, St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission, St. Landry Parish School Board, St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Department, Chamber of Commerce, Louisiana State University Eunice, South Louisiana Community College T.H. Harris Campus and St. Landry Parish Solid Waste.
Rodier, who began his job as development director in 2013, said the site list will grow.
“I had an opportunity to come into St. Landry Parish looking with wide eyes and an open mind,” he said. “Before I even got here it was very obvious that there was a lot of opportunity in St. Landry Parish for growth and development.”
But Rodier said he also found a local focus on lost opportunities.
“If you don’t know how to go forward and you don’t understand that good things are happening around you, you think ‘Doggone, why didn’t we do that.’”
The campaign launches with nine leaders “... with a single purpose to show as leadership we are united and we are going to start telling the good stories of St. Landry Parish,” he said.
Bill Fontenot, parish president, who joined Rodier in announcing the campaign, said, “I think the idea of branding is something that most people can buy into. We don’t want to leave anybody out because you are all part of the success.”
The pace of development in the parish is picking up to the point it is being recognized elsewhere, Fontenot said.
Someone on a Lafayette radio station was talking about struggles in their parish, he said. “They were saying maybe we should do in Lafayette ... what we are doing in St. Landry Parish. I don’t think I’ve heard that in my life. Another parish wanted to do like we are doing.”
In 2013, St. Landry Parish rural voters approved a 2-cent sales tax for road improvement.
Fontenot said 100 miles of roads have been paved, another 100 miles is to be done by the end of the year and 100 more miles will be paved in 2016.
“Paving roads is important,” he said “I think it brings pride in community, spirits are lifted and, I think, it brings progress, economic development ...”
Rodier said the first billboard of the campaign is scheduled to go up Sept. 2 on Interstate 49 south of Opelousas.
The signage will be accompanied by a website, SLPForward.com, that will include “good news” articles by author Jim Bradshaw of Washington. Bradshaw has a column published in The Eunice News on Sundays.
“When you see ‘We’re Moving Forward St. Landry Parish’ in front of a building, you will go toSLPForward.com and see and article by Bradshsaw explaining the good thing that happened,” he said.
“That could be a development project in Grand Coteau, that could be a school in Eunice, that could be something on the LSUE campus,” he said.