Today, Gov. Bobby Jindal and Weyerhaeuser Company Plant Manager Steve Story announced a $6 million capital investment by  Weyerhaeuser that will retain 175 jobs and create 30 new jobs at the company's Natchitoches forest products plant.

America can experience a manufacturing rebirth, if it can capitalize on market conditions and overcome certain challenges.

Jay Moon, president and chief executive officer of the Mississippi Manufacturers' Association, spoke Monday at the Central Louisiana Economic Development Alliance's quarterly luncheon about the opportunity.

The Central Louisiana Economic Development Alliance will hold its Quarterly Innovation Luncheon on Monday, September 24 at Noon. The event will take place at the Pineville Convention Center located at 2727 Monroe Highway.

Pollina Corporate Real Estate Inc. released its annual ranking of top pro-business states, with Louisiana rising to No. 16 in the U.S. Louisiana has climbed 24 spots in Pollina's ranking since 2008, making it the most improved state in the country over the last four years.

Business Facilities magazine just ranked Louisiana the No. 1 state with Economic Growth Potential in its 2012 State Rankings Report.

Today, Gov. Bobby Jindal hailed Louisiana's highest-ever business climate ranking – No. 5 by Business Facilities – as a fresh signal of Louisiana's emergence as one of America's top climates for business investment and job creation.

The United States is approaching a fiscal cliff in 2013.  Unless Congress extends the current expiring tax provisions, taxpayers will be faced with a tax increase of $500 billion.

National leadership in exports, a strong energy sector and policies that are attracting business investment helped Louisiana establish nearly a dozen Top 10 rankings in Enterprising States 2012

The Senate Finance Committee amendments passed on Monday included $1.5 million in additional funding for J. Levy Dabadie Corrections Center in Pineville.

Sundrop Fuels will announce today that it has entered a partnership with worldwide engineering and technology firm ThyssenKrupp Uhde for construction of its planned "green gasoline" production plant north of Alexandria.

Heads of Central Louisiana economic groups, business leaders and mayors are in Baton Rouge today to lobby legislators and perhaps Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration to keep J. Levy Dabadie Correctional Center operating.

Today, Chief Executive announced that CEOs nationwide rank Louisiana as the most improved state for business in the U.S., according to the magazine's 2012 Best/Worst States for Business ranking.

The Alexandria area led the nation in earnings growth over a recent six-month period, according to a report from a leading site selection firm.

Central Louisiana is on the cusp of shaping the energy market across the nation, U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy said Wednesday.

On Monday, March 26, 2012, the Chamber Board of Directors adopted a resolution about the closure of the J. Levy Dabadie Correctional Center

Personal income rose 4.8 percent last year in Louisiana as the petroleum and manufacturing industries enjoyed a strong 2011, the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis said Wednesday.

It has been a good past few months for economic developers in Central Louisiana.  Wednesday's announcement that Sutherland Global Services Inc. will locate a call center in Alexandria starting at 290 jobs was the latest good news.

Today, Gov. Bobby Jindal and Sutherland Global Services executive Jim Myers joined Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy and Central Louisiana Economic Development Alliance (CLEDA) CEO Jim Clinton to announce that Sutherland will open a 600-job BPO Operations Center in Alexandria.

Today, Gov. Bobby Jindal marked the completion of a $100 million expansion at The Procter & Gamble Company's Pineville fabric care facility.

Site Selection magazine released its annual Governor's Cup rankings, and Louisiana ranks No. 3 in the U.S. on a per capita basis and No. 10 overall for states that gained the most new and expanded corporate facilities in 2011.

Louisiana ranks No. 2 in the U.S. for new firms and No. 10 in the U.S. for mature firms; Louisiana one of only two Southern states to rank in the Top 10 for both new and mature firms

Cheap, plentiful natural gas is a "game changer" that will bring untold jobs and wealth to Americans, the top official with an organization representing oil and gas interests in the state said Thursday.

Better times are coming for Central Louisiana, according to economist Loren Scott.

A company is in final negotiations to bring a business process outsourcing center with hundreds of jobs to Alexandria.

The Louisiana Bond Commission on Thursday gave preliminary approval to the funding plan for biofuels firm Sundrop Fuels Inc. to build facilities at Rapides Station to produce "green gasoline."

JELD-WEN Inc., one of the world's leading manufacturers of windows and doors, will open a $120 million Winn Parish production facility by the end of 2012.

A nearly half-billion-dollar biofuels plant in the Alexandria area would provide a nice boost to the area's forestry industry, professionals say.

Officials from Sundrop Fuels Inc. as well as local and state government and business leaders agree wholeheartedly on this -- they would love to fill as many of the 150 jobs as possible at the company's planned biofuels plant near Alexandria with Louisiana natives.

Sundrop Fuels Inc. is betting $450 million on a planned biofuels facility near Alexandria. More than that, the company is betting its future.

Whether 2012 is the year when Central Louisiana starts living up to its potential or not, business leaders are optimistic it eventually will happen.

Louisiana added 3,400 nonfarm jobs from October to November and 46,700 over the year, ... Alexandria unemployment is 6.2 percent, down from 6.8 percent
 

The transfer of the final piece of what was England Air Force Base to the England Authority was commemorated in a ceremony at Alexandria International Airport on Thursday.

Local and state economic development officials announced Tuesday that biofuels company Sundrop Fuels, Inc. will build its first production facility near Alexandria.

Site Selection magazine magazine today ranked Louisiana the No. 7 business climate in the country - the state's highest ranking ever.

 Louisiana’s jobs gain in September ranked third in the country, according to the federal Bureaus of Labor Statistics.

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 6.9 percent in September, the lowest rate since July 2009, the Louisiana Workforce Commission said today.

If you build it, they will come.

Lott Oil Co. is counting on that in installing pumps dispensing natural gas to vehicles at its service stations, starting with Leebo's No. 9 Chevron station off Airbase Road in Alexandria.

Today, Area Development magazine ranked Louisiana No. 6 in the U.S. in its 2011 ranking of Top States for Doing Business

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and other state, local and military officials celebrated the announcement of more than $25 million in state funds for infrastructure improvements in the Fort Polk area Thursday.

the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released its first NAHB/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI),

 For the second straight year, Louisiana FastStart ranks as the nation's best state workforce training program

Business Facilities has ranked Louisiana No. 2 in the nation for Economic Growth Potential and No. 7 among U.S. states for Best Business Climate

For the third straight year, Southern Business & Development magazine recognized Louisiana as State of the Year in the South

Today, Site Selection magazine announced its 2010 Competitiveness Awards, which recognize excellence on the part of state-level economic development groups. Site Selection ranked Louisiana Economic Development the No. 1 state economic development agency in the country.

In another indication that the recession came slow to the area, a new report released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis shows per capital personal income went up in nearly every Central Louisiana parish in 2009.

Central Louisiana has no shortage of people and organizations interested in all matters related to economic development. That's important and positive, for lots of reasons.

Two Rapides Parish-based economic development organizations decided they can do more together than separately.

The Alexandria metropolitan area has been among the per-capita leaders nationally for new and expanded corporate and industrial facilities by a leading trade publication.

In its fourth annual competition, Business Facilities magazine named Louisiana 2010 "State of the Year."

Expansion Solutions Magazine, a leading national publication used as a research tool for key site selection consultants that are active in the site selection process, has named the Central Louisiana Economic Development Alliance (CLEDA)as one the nation's top 5 economic development organizations

The Alexandria area is a cheap place to live, relatively speaking. For goods and services for which the national average is $100, the cost in the Alexandria area is $95.50, according to a new study ranking urban areas.

Louisiana’s growth rate for the goods and services it produced in 2009 ranked fifth in the nation in a new report put out by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Earlier today, Site Selection magazine released its 2010 Top Business Climate Rankings, and Louisiana earned its highest ranking to date -- improving to ninth best in the U.S. from 25th in 2009.

The 2010 Milken Institute Best Performing Cities Index ranks the U.S. metropolitan areas by how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth.

N.E.W. Customer Service Companies, Inc., the nation’s leading provider of extended service plans and buyer protection programs for consumer products, together with Louisiana’s Governor Bobby Jindal today announced plans to hire as many as 200 customer service employees

 Economic development is not magic. It's just common sense.

Those were the words of Rick Ranson who, in his capacity with Central Louisiana Economic Development Alliance, organized an economic development seminar Thursday titled "Economic Development: It's Your Business!"

Like anyone who has a stake in the economic well-being of Central Louisiana, Rick Ranson was saddened when International Paper announced last year it was closing its Pineville mill

The Central Louisiana Economic Development Alliance and Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce are presenting an economic development forum on Thursday, June 3.

The Chamber and CLEDA will present an economic development forum on June 3, at the Country Inn & Suites Conference Center

Out of the 124 "small metros" evaluated, the Alexandria, Louisiana MSA was ranked number 31.

Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret joined Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce President Elton Pody and local officials to announce $3.3 million in road improvements at the Coughlin Industrial Park

"Move forward."  That was the basic theme of Thursday's annual meeting of the Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce, an organization that's also celebrating its 95th year of existence.

The Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce is reminding businesses in the Central Louisiana Renewal Community area to apply for the $12 million

In conjunction with the Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce in Alexandria, the Central Louisiana Economic Development Alliance is conducting a comprehensive review

A free seminar on what Central Louisiana must do to compete in a global technological environment will be held Thursday

Parata Systems, Inc. (formerly Mckesson Automation Systems, Inc.) made the decision to close its Alexandria facility. 

The Chamber launched the "No Place Like Home" campaign in late October 2005, with the goal of

Union Tank Car Company help wanted ads will begin to appear in Central Louisiana newspapers on Sunday.