Site Selection Ranks Louisiana No. 2 In National Business Climate Ranking

BATON ROUGE, La. — Today, Gov. Bobby Jindal touted Louisiana’s rise to No. 2 in the Site Selection 2014 Top U.S. Business Climates, the state’s highest-ever placement in the magazine’s annual ranking. Louisiana moved up from No. 6 in Site Selection’s 2013 ranking. The No. 2 ranking in 2014 (trailing only Georgia) marks Louisiana’s fifth consecutive year in the Top 10. Just five years ago, Louisiana ranked No. 25.

Earlier this year, Business Facilities magazine ranked Louisiana No. 1 in the U.S. in its Best Business Climates ranking (with Georgia at No. 7). The latest Site Selection ranking provides additional evidence of Louisiana’s attractiveness as a compelling location for business investment and job creation. Rounding out the Site Selection Top 5 this year were No. 3 North Carolina, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Ohio.

Gov. Jindal said, “For too long, Louisiana languished on the sidelines of site-selection competitions. But the extensive business climate reforms we’ve enacted since 2008, working with the Legislature and our regional and local partners, have dramatically changed the playing field. Today, Louisiana stands at the forefront of states that are the best prepared to help businesses expand, relocate, invest, and create jobs. Today, Louisiana has more people working than at any time in our state’s history. We’re creating the best climate in the world for advanced manufacturing, software development, energy, aerospace, and other industries to invest in the best-prepared workforce to be found anywhere. We’re encouraged by this Site Selection recognition, and we will continue to work hard and demonstrate why Louisiana is the best place in the world to live, work and raise a family.”

Since 2008, Louisiana has secured economic development wins that are resulting in more than 83,000 new jobs, more than $54 billion in new capital investment and hundreds of millions of dollars in new sales for the state’s small businesses. In every major national business climate ranking, Louisiana stands higher today than it ever did before 2008, including rankings by Area Development, Beacon Hill Institute, Business Facilities, Chief Executive, CNBC, DCI, Forbes, Pollina Corporate Real Estate and Site Selection.

Today, Louisiana ranks in the Top 10 of five major national business climate rankings. In addition to the No. 1 ranking by Business Facilities in August and the new No. 2 ranking by Site Selection, Louisiana ranks No. 6 in Area Development’s Top States for Doing Business, No. 9 in the Chief Executive ranking of Best and Worst States for Business, and No. 10 in the state business climate ranking of DCI’s 2014 Winning Strategies in Economic Development Marketing.

About Site Selection
Site Selection magazine, published by Conway Data Inc., delivers expansion-planning information to more than 48,000 executives of fast-growing firms. Site Selection is also available via Site Selection Online (www.siteselection.com).

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