The Louisiana Department of Economic Development recently announced that DeRidder would be one of twelve Louisiana communities to complete a six-month pilot program designed to prepare each community to effectively compete with out of state communities for good jobs, business development projects and capital investment.

“This program represents the next step in our efforts to enhance the competitiveness of our local communities,” says LED Secretary Stephen Moret. “By equipping these 12 communities with the resources they need to compete at the local and national level, we are helping them become better places in which to live, work and do business.”
Leon Lagneaux and Elizabeth Granger have been selected to serve as co-chairmen of the steering committee. They are currently in the process of selecting community leaders and interested citizens to serve on 6 different committees required by the program. The involvement of the community will include two town hall meetings during the six-month pilot program. In addition, several hundred citizens will be asked to participate in a community assessment. “Every citizen who wishes to express an opinion will have an opportunity to do so,” said Granger and Lagneaux.

“The state has demonstrated its commitment to enhancing economic development at the local level,” said Tom Ed McHugh, executive director of the Louisiana Municipal Association. “Our partners at LED have aggressively promoted community development and invested heavily in a system that will help Louisiana’s communities become more competitive.”
Twenty-five communities applied for the pilot program. Each community’s application was scored on completeness of application, a resolution by the governing body to support the program, a description of the community’s previous and current community and economic development experience, letters of support from local and state leaders, and overall commitment to the aggressive pilot program schedule.

The communities were then reviewed through a competitive process led by the Louisiana Development Ready Communities selection committee, which includes representatives from utility companies, Louisiana Association of Planning Districts, Institute for Economic Development and Real Estate Research at UNO and LED.