From to a movie animation studio to a wind turbine technology company to a new casino, the Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission celebrated this year’s wins for the business community on Thursday at the Hilton New Orleans Airport.
Jefferson Parish saw significant economic development this year across its small businesses, industrial companies and public-private partnerships, said JEDCO Executive Director Jerry Bologna.
In hopes of maintaining that momentum in the new year, Bologna announced a new advertising campaign with Deep Fried Advertising, titled “MORE HERE,” to attract new business next year as millions of visitors will flock to the New Orleans area for Super Bowl LIX and the Jefferson Parish bicentennial.
“Jefferson Parish offers more innovation, more opportunity, more culture and more connection,” Bologna said.
Here are the largest economic development projects in Jefferson Parish, according to JEDCO:
UBE
Japanese Chemical Company UBE Corporation plans to construct a half billion dollar plant on Cornerstone’s campus in Waggaman, which will be the first manufacturing facility in the United States for ingredients using lithium-ion EV batteries. UBE, which received project approval from the parish in November, says the plant will create 58 new jobs in the parish and decrease reliance on foreign imports in the industry.
Gulf Wind Technology
Gulf Wind Technology, a wind turbine technology company, partnered with Shell last year on a $10 million initiative to create a wind power research and technology hub at the Avondale Global Gateway, which JEDCO says will place the parish as a “global player” in offshore wind power.
RNGD
RNGD, a New Orleans construction company, formerly known as Palmisano Construction, plans to consolidate their operations and relocate its corporate headquarters to Jefferson Parish, a move that will bring with it 130 jobs. The $25 million campus will include a manufacturing facility, office building and training academy across 8 acres.
Birdon
Birdon America, the U.S. arm of an Australian defense contractor, plans to expand its offices in Elmwood and create 25 new jobs as it prepares for a $1.1 billion, 10 year contract with the Coast Guard to oversee the design and construction of 27 waterways commerce cutter vessels.
Reily Foods Company
Reily Foods Co., a 123-year-old New Orleans company best known for brands that include Blue Plate Mayonnaise, French Market Coffee and Luzianne Iced Tea, plans to relocate its corporate headquarters from the Central Business District to Elmwood.
Bunge
Bunge, a St. Louis-based agribusiness conglomerate, broke ground in August on an $86 million expansion of its palm oil refining facility in Avondale, which will make it the largest processing plant of its kind in the country. The expansion comes over a year after Bunge purchased the facility from Fuji Oil for $178 million.
Kingfish Development
Officials broke ground in October on a $25 million project in Gretna to build a 20,000-square-foot brewery and taco restaurant, linear park and parking garage on the site of a parish-owned parking lot. The brewpub, which will cost $10.3 million in parish funds, will be operated by Port Orleans Brewery and Avo Taco.
The project has been the source of political firestorm in the parish government in recent months after the parish inspector general released a letter criticizing the project and two economic development corporations overseeing it. Efforts by Council member Jennifer Van Vrancken to pause construction in light of the letter have been shot down.
Ochsner Health System
Ochsner Health is in the process of several major expansions at its campus in Old Jefferson. Construction began this year on a new 132,000-square-foot neuroscience center across the street from the main campus, and the hospital won approval from the Parish Council to build a 343,000-square-foot children’s hospital facility next to its existing building.
The expansions, particularly for the children’s hospital, faced opposition from elected officials and neighbors who said the hospital was encroaching on their neighbors, making traffic and drainage issues worse. The Parish Council approved the expansion plan in October after negotiating with Ochsner to stop buying residential properties in the area, build a pocket park and install additional drainage infrastructure under its campus.
LCMC Health
LCMC Health is investing $220 million in upgrades for the East Jefferson General Hospital and other medical facilities, bringing more than 500 Tulane physicians and medical residents to Jefferson Parish from downtown New Orleans. LCMC also purchased Tulane Lakeside Hospital in Metairie in 2023.
Gretna Primary Workspace
Jefferson Parish spent $2.78 million to repurpose a 113-year-old schoolhouse in Gretna that’s largely sat vacant for decades into a co-working space with conference rooms and a market. Officials said this month that construction on the project is nearing completion.
The Francis at Elmwood
Lauricella Land Company is moving forward with plans to redevelop the site of a former K-Mart in Elmwood Shopping Center into a mixed use, high-end apartment complex, which JEDCO says will help create more walkable neighborhoods in the parish.
Treasure Chest Casino
Kenner’s Treasure Chest Casino opened its $100 million land-based casino in June, featuring over 900 slot machines, four new restaurants and an 8,000-square-foot ballroom space. The new location “breathes new life into the Laketown area,” JEDCO said, as officials make plans to construct a $14 million outdoor amphitheater.
Swaybox Studios
Swaybox Studios, a Jefferson Parish-based animation studio that utilizes its own animation and puppetry technique, got the green light to produce a full-length, big-budget motion picture for DC Studios and Warner Brothers about Batman’s sidekick, Robin.
Rising Oaks
Habitat for Humanity is building its largest New Orleans-area project in history with Rising Oaks, a 154-home, 40-acre neighborhood in Terrytown for senior housing located near schools, healthcare needs, childcare services and retail spaces. It will also be the nonprofit’s least affordable project as it’s open to residents with higher incomes than typically required.
Greater New Orleans Food and Beverage Incubator
JEDCO will break ground next year on a $4.2 million food and beverage business incubator, designed to assist aspiring business owners into the marketplace, using a mix of federal, state and parish funds. The 15,000-square-foot facility will be built at Churchill Park featuring commercial kitchens, cold storage and a demonstration and staging place.