From a motion picture studio to a wind turbine technology company to a new casino, the Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission celebrated this year’s wins for the business community Thursday at the Hilton New Orleans Airport.
Jefferson Parish has seen significant economic development this year in its small businesses, industrial companies and public-private partnerships, JEDCO Executive Director Jerry Bologna said.
Hoping to keep that momentum going into the new year, Bologna has announced a new advertising campaign with Deep Fried Advertising, titled “MORE HERE”, to attract new business next year, as millions of visitors flock to the New Orleans area for Super Bowl LIX and Jefferson Parish’s bicentennial.
“Jefferson Parish offers more innovation, more opportunity, more culture and more connection,” Bologna said.
Here are the biggest economic development projects in Jefferson Parish, according to JEDCO:
UBE
Japanese chemical company UBE Corporation plans to build a half-billion dollar plant at the Cornerstone campus in Waggaman, which will be the first manufacturing facility in the United States for ingredients that use lithium-ion EV batteries. UBE, which he received approval of the project by the parish in November, it says the plant will create 58 new jobs in the parish and decrease the reliance on foreign imports in the industry.
Gulf Wind Technology
Gulf Wind Technology, a wind turbine technology company, partnered with Shell last year on a $10 million initiative to create a wind energy research and technology center in the Avondale Global Gateway, which JEDCO says will position the parish as a “global player” in offshore wind energy.
RNGD
RNGD, a New Orleans construction company, formerly known as Palmisano Construction, plans to consolidate its operations and move its corporate headquarters to Jefferson Parish, a move that will bring with it 130 jobs. The $25 million campus will include a manufacturing facility, an office building and a training academy on 8 acres.
Birdon
Birdon America, the American arm of an Australian defense contractor, plans to expand its offices in Elmwood and create 25 new jobs as it prepares for a $1.1 billion, 10-year contract with the Coast Guard to oversee the design and construction of 27 commercial waterway cutter vessels.
Reily Foods Company
Reily Foods Co., a 123-year-old New Orleans company best known for brands that include Blue Plate Mayonnaise, French Market Coffee and Luzianne Iced Tea, plans to move its corporate headquarters from the Central Business District to Elmwood.
Bunge
Bunge, an agribusiness conglomerate based in St. Louis, it broke in August an $86 million expansion of its palm oil refining facility in Avondale, which will make it the largest processing plant of its kind in the country. The expansion comes more than a year after Bunge purchased the facility from Fuji Oil for $178 million.
Development of Kingfish
Officer broke ground in October on a $25 million project in Gretna to build a 20,000-square-foot brewery and heeled restaurant, linear park and garage on the site of a parish parking lot. The brewpub, which will cost $10.3 million in parish funds, will be operated by Port Orleans Brewery and Avo Taco.
The project was the source of political firestorm in parish government in recent months after the parish’s inspector general released a letter criticizing the project and two economic development corporations that oversee it. Council member Jennifer Van Vrancken’s efforts at construction break in the light of the letter they were shot down.
Ochsner Health System
Ochsner Health is in the process of several major expansions at its campus in Old Jefferson. Construction began this year on a new one 132,000 square foot neuroscience center across the street from the main campus, and the hospital won approval from the Parish Council to build the 343,000 square foot Children’s Hospital establishment next to its existing building.
The expansions, especially for the children’s hospital, have faced opposition by elected officials and neighbors who said the hospital would intrude on their neighbors, exacerbating traffic and drainage problems. The Parish Council approved the expansion plan in October after negotiating with Ochsner to stop buying residential property in the area, build a pocket park and install additional drainage infrastructure under its campus.
LCMC Health
LCMC Health is investing $220 million in upgrades to East Jefferson General Hospital and other medical facilities, bringing more than 500 Tulane physicians and medical residents to Jefferson Parish from downtown New Orleans. LCMC also acquired Tulane Lakeside Hospital in Metairie in 2023.
Primary workspace Gretna
Jefferson Parish spent $2.78 million to restore a 113-year-old school in Gretna that has been largely vacant for decades. collaboration space with conference rooms and a market. Officials said this month that construction on the project is nearing completion.
Francis at Elmwood
Lauricella Land Company is moving forward with plans to redevelop the site of a former K-Mart in Elmwood Shopping Center into a high-end mixed-use apartment complex, which JEDCO says will help create more walkable neighborhoods in the parish.
Treasure Chest Casino
Kenner’s Treasure Chest Casino opened its $100 million land-based casino in June, featuring more than 900 slot machines, four new restaurants and an 8,000-square-foot ballroom. The new location will “breathe new life into the Laketown area,” JEDCO said, as officials make plans to build a 14 million dollar outdoor amphitheater.
Swaybox Studios
Swaybox Studios, a Jefferson Parish-based animation studio that uses its own animation and puppetry techniques, has received the green light to produce a full-length, big-budget film for DC Studios and Warner Brothers about Batman’s sidekick, Robin.
Rising Oaks
Habitat for Humanity is building its largest New Orleans-area project in history with Rising Oaks, the 154-home, 40-acre neighborhood in Terrytown for senior housing located near schools, health needs, child care services and retail space. It will also be the non-profit’s least affordable project, as it is open to residents with incomes higher than those typically required.
Food and Beverage Incubator of Greater New Orleans
JEDCO will break ground next year on $4.2 million food and beverage business incubator, designed to help aspiring business owners in the market, using a mix of federal, state and parish funds. The 15,000-square-foot facility will be built in Churchill Park with commercial kitchens, cold storage and a demonstration and staging area.
