Ascension Economic Development

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Ascension Economic Development Corporation
Update Summer Board Meeting 2007 Tommy J.
Kurtz, CEcD, MPA
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Key Operational Highlights

• Initial review phase of Ascension megasite
  completed and final site chosen
• Hosted major call center prospect with 300 jobs
• Updated website with most up-to-date 2006/2007
  information
• LECC received over 15,000 in grants from
  incubator association adding packaging and
  bottling and other equipment
• Retention calling program with Synchronist and
  working on four major retention and expansion
  projects
• AEDC attended national trade shows in
  construction, retail, chemical

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Key Operational Highlights

• Assisted with BRAC regional workforce study
• Assisted with development of Ascension Fresh
  Market with Ascension Leadership, Ascension
  Chamber, and Ascension Tourism Commission at
  Lamar Dixon
• Business and Industrial Park Development Project
  started
• Downstream Fine and Specialty Chemical Project
  started
• AEDCs 501c3 foundation has raised 206,000 in
  commitments with 114,100 collected to date to
  fund food incubator, megasite, business park, and
  downstream chemical projects from public sector
  matching grants and private sources.

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Current Attraction Projects 10 prospect visits
in 2007 (5 since last meeting) -Upscale
Theatre -Biomass Plant -Hotel -Call
Center -Liquid Bulk Storage Still
pending -Biomass Plant -Machine Shop -Ethanol
Plant -Upscale Theatre DEAD -Gonzales Call
Center -Car Dealership
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Request for Proposals 13 in 2007, 8 since last
board meeting -Project Empire-200
jobs-LED-Food -Project Star-200 jobs-BRAC-Call
Center -Steel Processing-200 jobs-LED-Steel -Proje
ct Terry-80 jobs-LED-Textile -Project
Queen-300-BRAC-LED-Call Center -Site Selection
Group-250-AEDC-Call Center Project
Pioneer-200-BRAC-Metal Fabrication Project Oak,
1,200 jobs,metal fabrication, BRAC
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• 2007 Planned Trade Shows/Conferences
• Intl Builders Show (with BRAC)-February-Orlando (
  Edie-completed)
• National Petroleum Refinery Assc.-March (Tommy)
• International Council of Shopping Centers-May
  (Edie)
• Corporate Home Office Visit-Houston-Summer
  (Tommy)-July 16-18
• LA Restaurant Assc. Food Show-New Orleans-Aug.
  4-6
• Chemical Show/NJ/NY Home Office Visit-November
  (Tommy)
• American Film Market-November (Edie/Tommy)
• Corenet Global-Fall Meeting-November (Tommy)

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• Movie Locations
• The Last Waltz of the Tear Drop Diamond-Filming
  in
• Donaldsonville and Napoleonville in August
• 3 RFPS sent and 2 movie scout visits
• 20 million Bonnie and Clyde Movie HQs
• -still securing financing

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• Movie Locations
• Hosted officials with Last Waltz movie to nail
  down locations in Donaldsonville
• AEDC contracted with local movie scout-
• over 580 pictures taken of Ascension scenes now
  placed on AEDC website
• Ascension Parish and Donaldsonville to be
  featured in LA Film and Video Magazine-Spring
  issue

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• Business Retention and Expansion
• Projects (continued from 2006)
• 30-40 million chemical modernization, retention
  of 30 jobs-approved
• But not announced-Project Green
• 7 million steel support company, 40 jobs-pending
• 2007 projects
• -Local foundry-3.5 million expansion, 30 new
  jobs-pending
• -Chemical Plant-300 million expansion
• Gas Plant Project-150 million expansion

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• Business Retention and Expansion
• 10 visits since start of 2007, 36 visits since
  start of 2006
• 30 retention letters sent out this week to
  companies
• in North Hwy 30 and Hwy 73 corridors
• Companies Visited
• -Acadian Waste
• -Beck Companies
• -Dupont
• -Eatel
• -Oxychem (Vulcan)
• -PCS Nitrogen
• -Pearce Industries
• -Emerson
• -Westlake Vinyls
• -Furnace and Tube Company
• Retention visits in July with BRAC/LED to
  Ascension

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• Business Retention and Expansion
• Synchronist Survey Results (Jan 06-May 07)
• Company Profiles
• 43 Advanced Manufacturing
• 25- Business Services
• 13- Building and Construction
• 9-Communications
• 10 other
• 50 established in 1951-1975
• 43 established from 1976-2000
• 71 have room for expansion
• 65 own their facility

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• Business Retention and Expansion-Synchronist
• Product Information
• 58 growing
• 21 maturing
• 21 emerging
• 70 expect new products in next five years
• Market Breakdown
• 19 Local
• 19 Regional
• 27 National
• 31 International
• 70 say their ales are increasing

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• Business Retention and Expansion-Synchronist
• Market Share
• 54 increasing
• 38 stable
• Export Sales
• 61 no exports
• 17 increasing
• 22 stable
• Overseas Competition
• 72 stable
• 21 increasing

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• Business Retention and Expansion-Synchronist
• Mergers and Acquisitions Sector
• 27 increasing
• 64 stable
• Product Capacity
• 35 under capacity
• 61 balanced
• Legislation Adversely Affecting Company in 5
  years
• 81 yes
• Legislation Benefiting Company in 5 years
• 75 yes

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• Business Retention and Expansion-Synchronist
• Company ownership changing in 18 months?
• 85 no
• Employment Needs at Facility
• 41 stable
• 54 increasing
• 5 decreasing
• Any Reasons for No Expansion?
• 82 no

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• Business Retention and Expansion-Synchronist
• Rankings (1-7, 1lowest7 highest)
• Workforce
• Availability-55 good to excellent (3.79)
• Quality-65 good to excellent(5.21)
• Stability-69 good to excellent(5.38)
• Productivity-80 good to excellent(5.60)
• Recruiting Problems
• 52-yes
• Unfilled Positions
• 64 stable
• 12 increasing
• 24 Decreasing
• Recruiting problems attributed to industry (47)
  and community (53)

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• Business Retention and Expansion-Synchronist
• Rankings (1-7, 1lowest7 highest)
• Community Evaluation
• Police-6.24
• Fire-6
• Paramedics-6.25
• Healthcare-5
• K-12 Public Schools-5.44
• Technical College-5.45
• Community College-5.5
• Colleges/Universities-5.5
• Local Roads- 3.58
• Highways-4.18

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• Business Retention and Expansion-Synchronist
• Rankings (1-7, 1lowest7 highest, 4 average)
• Community Evaluation Continued
• Property Tax Assessment-4.33
• Zoning-4.73
• Regulatory-5
• Community Planning-3.13
• Chamber of Commerce-5.0
• AEDC-5.3
• 80 Support Ascension as a place to do
  business!!!
• 62 plan an expansion in next three years!!
• Over 400 million in expansions planned, over 200
  
• potential new jobs from retention visits!

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• Business Retention and Expansion-Synchronist
• Comments from Businesses
• Positives
• Area has great access with water, rail, and
  interstate
• Good public schools
• Good and loyal workforce
• Great law enforcement services
• Good access to regional customers
• Concerns
• Lack of infrastructure hurting parish
• Difficult to work with local government
  officials to make them aware of industry issues
• Local government does not get the big picture
• Local infrastructure poor
• Retiring workforce in coming years will cause
  employment shortage

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• LA Edible Creations Center
• 8 contracts signed, 5 active tenants
• --Chef KD
• -Gumbo Roux Maker
• -Frozen Espresso Shot Maker
• -Drakes Catering (catering storage)
• -Barbeque Sauce Maker
• Parish increased funding for LECC-39,000
• 3 pending tenants
• Farmers market offering new market for potential
  tenants
• Up to 50,000 in grants available July 1 from LED
  for LECC
• Partnership with Air Products for Liquid Nitrogen
  Equipment
• for Flash Freezing of Food Products

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• Ascension Fresh Market at Lamar Dixon
• Joint project with Ascension Leadership Class,
  AEDC,
• Ascension Chamber, Ascension Tourism
• Started April 22nd, official grand opening May
  26th
• Farmers, food vendors every Saturday from
  8am-12pm
• 18 vendor contracts, 10 vendors on an average
  Saturday
• with average of 200 customers
• Opportunities for LECC food incubator clients to
  sell products
• Website, phone number, weekly marketing in local
  papers

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• Ascension Megasite
• Current Negotiation with Pointe Sunshine(Houmas)
  owners on option-
• First Deepwater Access Site on Mississippi River
• Appraisal Pending by industrial appraisal
• Phase I, Wetland Assessment, Geotechnical
  Evaluation and
• Utility Assessment to be completed on Pointe
  Houmas
• 20,000 in matching funds from BRAC, Port of BR
  and Entergy
• Ad for Megasite in Site Selection Magazine in
  July for Pointe Sunshine
• AEDC staff will market site nationally with BRAC,
• Entergy, LED, and Port of Greater Baton Rouge

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Ad in Site Selection Magazine July 2007
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• 2007 Initiatives
• Business Park Development
• Taimerica, LLC performing feasibility study and
  analysis
• Proposal would also identify three best sites,
  costs of
• development for park and allow AEDC to market
  sites to national/regional business park
  developers
• 26,500 matching grant awarded from LED
• Completion in Fall 2007

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Business Park Development Potential Sites
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• 2007 Initiatives
• Downstream Specialty Chemical Initiative
• SSA Consultants of Baton Rouge performing pilot
  plant study
• Streams identified, target companies and
  marketing plan being created to market to
  potential fine and specialty chemical companies
  to co-locate at BASF
• Completion in Fall 2007

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• 2007 Initiatives
• Other projects
• AEDC contracted by Parish to do economic impact
  of Lamar Dixon Expo Center with study completed
  by LSU
• Presentation to be given to Council on July 19th
  by LSU officials

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• Remaining Board Meeting Dates for 2007
• September 20, 2007
• December 13, 2007

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Questions? www.ascensionedc.com tkurtz_at_ascensione
dc.com emichel_at_ascensionedc.com bduplessis_at_ascensi
onedc.com 225-675-1750-p 225-675-1751-f 6967
Highway 22 Sorrento, LA 70778