Harlan Kirgan
A four-day course has Eunice Mayor Scott Fontenot rethinking economic development.
“This program opened my eyes that we may not be on an interstate, but we are very close enough to benefit from them,” he said of the Jan. 23 to 26 LSU Executive Education’s Basic Economic Development Certification Course.
Fontenot said his first task is share with the council what he learned.
In 2016, there was push to have city government create a strategic plan, but it faltered as aldermen eyed costs.
Fontenot found a plan written about 10 years ago and now thinks it should be updated. He also said he intends to name a economic development commission.
The value of a strategic plan was presented at the program, he said.
“They had some really good things in there, but that was 10 years ago,” he said of the existing plan.
“I think it would be hard to justify spending a large amount of money,” he said of creating a new plan.
“Maybe we can find someone to help us out with that,” Fontenot said.
Eunice is in a good position for economic development from a transportation perspective, he said.
Interstates 10 and 49 are 20 miles away and there is a major railroad in Eunice, he said.
Economic growth in south Louisiana means people are going to be moving into the state, he said.
“Something big is happening in Louisiana and these guys see it,” he said. “It is hard to see just in, I guess, in regular every day life what is happening.”
Fontenot also wants the city to focus more attention on its website.
“They stressed the importance of having a website that is up-to-date because one of the first things that investors or visitors turn to when they are looking to go to a community is the website,” he said.
On another issue, “We need to figure out how to keep our money here in town,” he said.
The course provided participants with an overview and introduction to the fundamentals of economic development that prepares them to help their communities and their organizations meet the competitive challenges they face in fostering economic development, according to LSU Executive Education’s website.
Robin Kistler, director of LSU Executive Education, said, “More than ever, local leadership must be prepared to help their communities meet these challenges: to capitalize on new developments, to turn potential obstacles into opportunities, and to enhance the quality of place for those who live, visit, and invest in the area.”
Specific topics of the four-day program included: perspectives in economic development; ethics in economic development; workforce development; transportation and logistics; strategic planning; business retention and expansion; managing the economic development organization; economic development finance; target marketing; small business and entrepreneurship; corporate site selection; real estate development and reuse; and community development.