Here’s some of the latest business happenings in Jefferson Parish

Photo courtesy JEDCO.

The Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission (JEDCO) has published its Q2 Newsletter, announcing several business victories, commercial expansions, job gains, and grand openings assisted by the economic development arm of Jefferson Parish.

In April, national seafood distributor Inland Seafood held its grand opening in Elmwood investing $4 million in the purchase and renovation of a 14,000 square foot facility at 134 Brookhollow Esplanade in Harahan, bringing 55 jobs to Jefferson Parish. Inland supplies more than 5,500 restaurants and 2,500 retail outlets.

JEDCO assisted in site identification and selection, provided Parish interface to address parking needs, sourced cold storage equipment via a local broker, and offered tax incentive and financing guidance. For instance, JEDCO works with small businesses on loan assistance and financing options, including the Seafood Enterprise Assistance (SEA) Fund designed to support seafood industry small businesses and sole proprietors operating in Jefferson Parish.

This summer, Studio KP, a woman-owned full-service salon opened in Metairie at 3011 21st St., with the help of JEDCO’s SBA 504 loan assistance program – below-market fixed rates for refinance, purchase, or construction of commercial real estate. JEDCO financed 40% of the project, which covered construction of the business’ new facility.

In addition, Crescent City Ninja Academy celebrated its grand opening in May with JEDCO funding 100% of the project and providing site selection support at 1539 Lafayette Street, Suite B, in Gretna.

JEDCO also assisted Bambū Metairie (4401 Veterans Blvd.) Yakuza House (2740 Severn Ave.), McCord Butchery (210 Veterans Blvd., Suite A), Debbie on the Levee (2218 Reverend Richard Wilson Dr.), and Kingfish Cider (355 Iris Ave., Suite A). Since the beginning of the year, the JEDO finance team has funded 16 loans with a total project cost of over $3.4 million. JEDCO loans covered 63% of total project costs. JEDCO’s industry recruitment arm generated 25 prospective business leads and is currently working on 14 active business and attraction projects, which have the capacity to bring in over $3 billion in investment.

Additional Q2 JEDCO accomplishments included:

• Assistance to Pigeon Caterersin its relocation from New Orleans to Old Jefferson at 803 Jefferson Hwy. in a 55,000 square foot former vodka distillery – $6 million to renovate and equip building to consolidate three operations – Mid-City, Uptown, and St. Rose.
• Assistance to 1st Lake Propertieson the groundbreaking of Alluvia, a 260-unit luxury apartment complex in Kenner on Loyola Drive near Ochsner Health Center.
• Assistance to Treasure Chest Casinoto move the floating casino to a 47,000-square-foot casino on land through a $100 million investment.
• Worked to bring the former Avondale Shipyard site back into commerce. Renamed Avondale Global Gateway, the site is poised to become a multi-modal logistics hub. Global developer T. Parker Host announced plans to moves its headquarters to Avondale Global Gateway earlier this year. Shell and Gulf Wind Technology also announced a partnershipto bring a wind power accelerator to the site, which positions Jefferson Parish as a major player in wind power.
• Driving growth in Churchill Park, a 480-acre, master-planned site on the West Bank that was born out of the first iteration of Jefferson EDGE, Jefferson Parish’s long term economic development strategic plan. JEDCO engaged a team of consultants to begin Phase 2 Implementation of the Masterplan, which included the development of a Strategic Business Plan to guide Churchill Park enterprises, progress, and activities as well as the development of a multi-tenant office building. JEDCO owns roughly 25 acres of shovel-ready property.
• Assisted in “Destination Healthcare” – working with Ocshner Health Systemon a 10-year partnership with MD Anderson Cancer Center – co-branding seven cancer centers as Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Centers – enabling physicians to be certified by MD Anderson while also collaborating with the Houston-based facility on patient care and clinical trials. LCMC Health also announced further reinvestment in Jefferson Parish, starting another $14 million of upgrades to East Jefferson General Hospital, as part of the $100 million commitment on capital improvements announced in 2020.’
• Hosted 54 “HEART to HEART” retention meetings with local business owners.
• Received grant funding (in 2021) from the Environmental Protection Agency to bring long dormant industrial sites back into commerce. The $600,000 grant has been used to assess possible Brownfield sites on the West Bank. To date, JEDCO has funded assessments of six sites and has utilized 50% of the budget.

As a certified development corporation, JEDCO can fund projects across the state. Therefore, JEDCO assisted in the grand opening of Westfield Fluid Controls Manufacturing Facility in Lafayette. JEDCO financed nearly $2.3 million through the SBA 504 Loan Program (of a $5.1 million commitment), helping to create 67 new direct jobs. Though located outside of Jefferson Parish, the processing and administrative fees from the venture come back to JEDCO to support economic development within the parish. Westfield Fluid Controls specializes in the manufacture, assembly, and testing of valves and fluid controls for the aerospace and defense industries.

Since 1987, JEDCO has helped create jobs, investments, and opportunities in Jefferson Parish as the longest continuously Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) in Louisiana and the second longest-running AEDO in the Gulf South – one of only 71 economic development organizations in North America to receive the designation.

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