St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation Releases 2019 Annual Review
ST. BERNARD PARISH, LA — St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation (SBEDF) has released its 2019 Annual Review, highlighting a series of big wins for the community located a few miles downriver from the French Quarter and New Orleans Central Business District. Wins included the continued success of Film St. Bernard, which attracted almost $3 million in local expenditures for film production, and prompted the modernization and expansion of the Ranch Studios. Several of St. Bernard Parish’s top employers including Valero, Chalmette Refining, Associated Terminals and Boasso Global added new jobs. St. Bernard Port, Harbor and terminal District was awarded a $13 Million TIGER Grant to help reconstruct the Chalmette Slip, setting our Parish up to expand its port industry. Valero invested $11 million in the area to construct a new administrative building and expand their operations. SBEDF also celebrated the success of its small business programming including Startup St. Bernard, Grow St. Bernard, and Shop Small Week.
The development of St. Bernard Parish was hard to miss in 2019. From our Parishes top employers to the infrastructure that makes up the land we call home, from our schools to our small-businesses, 2019 was a year of growth and success. For example, over $100 Million was put towards the development of St. Bernard’s roads, drainage, parks, and marsh restoration. Nunez Community College added a one-of-a-kind Aerospace Manufacturing Center, providing a pipeline to opportunities at the Michoud Assembly Facility. Over 25 new businesses opened their doors. The price of a single-family home jumped 11% in the first half of 2019 alone. Across the board, our area has continuously improved. As the official economic development organization of the Parish, we are honored to assist in leading the collaborative strategy that yields these positive outcomes and look forward to continuing our work in making St. Bernard a prosperous home for all.
SBEDF’s new Executive Director, Meaghan McCormack, sees 2019 as not only a success, but a year of establishing opportunities for even more growth into the future: “More rapidly than ever the Parish is positioning itself for long-term sustainable economic growth, as a result of the steady increase in private-sector investment, local entrepreneurship, and new jobs.” On top of this, our former Executive Director and Rita Gue, President of the Meraux Foundation, both received regional and national recognition for their work in St. Bernard. “These awards signal to professionals within the industry that our community is a leader in a collaboration-based approach to business attraction and retention,”, said McCormack. As the entities that drive St. Bernard in the right direction continue to work together, it is safe to say the quality of life, access to opportunity, and overall business climate will all continue to improve.
SBEDF reminds the business community that they offer confidential one-on-one business consultations to facilitate the retention and expansion of jobs in St. Bernard Parish. New, growing, and pre-revenue businesses may seek business concierge services by phone (504) 277-4009 or email at contact@sbedf.org.
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About the St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation
Serving as the official economic development organization in the parish, the St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation (SBEDF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2005 to create and retain jobs, build prosperity, and improve the quality of life in St. Bernard. To learn more about SBEDF and its work, visit sbedf.org.