One Acadiana to target 6 industries for development

One Acadiana announced it will target five industries for development following the release of study.
The five regional target industries One Acadiana will take the lead on cultivating are:
— Aviation and avionics;
— Informatics and engineering services;
— Food and beverage processing and related support industries;
— High-value business services; and
— Marine and heavy industries.
An additional target of heritage tourism was identified that local communities will spearhead with support from One Acadiana.
The focus of this initiative is for the Acadiana region to understand the optimal targets and rationale to attract and retain the types of businesses that will create high quality jobs and business growth. The strategy will influence many aspects of One Acadiana’s work over the next several years.
“The strategy is designed to provide our nine-parish region with a roadmap for the future which will assist us in focusing our resources,” said Frank Neuner, partner at NeunerPate and chairman of One Acadiana’s Business Development Committee. “The findings of the TIS will position Acadiana for strong economic growth and diversification of our economy, and they will be instrumental in guiding One Acadiana’s business development and policy activities moving forward.”
Garner Economics analyzed the Acadiana region against 50 variables — the same that are used when conducting a site/community evaluation for a company that is considering a new location, expansion, consolidation, or closure. Findings show Acadiana is asset rich, including strength in access to markets, labor, and resources, as well as significant quality of place. The region’s primary weaknesses are in the availability of industrial space, including sites and buildings, as well as office space and sites, which is why increasing the amount of development-ready sites in the region is a major focus of One Acadiana.
Jay Garner, president and founder of Garner Economics, visited Acadiana to provide a detailed presentation of the TIS findings, which assess how Acadiana compares to state and national competitors, identify high-potential industries for regional business recruitment efforts, and provide recommendations on how to improve Acadiana’s competitiveness in the short and long term.
“In addition to setting economic development goals for the region and a roadmap to attain it, our recommendations include a visioning process that will help One Acadiana brand and differentiate itself from other areas across the country,” said Garner. “The region need not be all things to all people, but rather should decide on and form its own ‘personality’ and take the steps to build it, while still embracing its historic culture and uniqueness. One Acadiana has a set of assets that can be beneficial to targeted businesses.  At the same time, it must work as a region to mitigate the challenges we have identified in its efforts to attract investment.” 
A major component of the TIS was community engagement. Feedback from employers and those engaged in workforce development helped Garner understand the potential for industry in the region.
One Acadiana President and CEO Jason El Koubi noted, “Throughout this process, we’ve worked closely with local economic development officials and business leaders in every parish. Our business development and recruitment efforts will be more successful if we continue to work together with our regional community to implement the recommendations heard today to make our municipalities, parishes, and overall region more competitive for economic development.”
One Acadiana is the leading economic development organization for the nine-parish Acadiana region located in south Louisiana. With more than 1,200 investors, members, and partners, One Acadiana serves as the voice of the regional business community. The organization is in Lafayette and serves a region of roughly 700,000 people.