Full Results: 2012 Top States for
Doing Business Survey »
Some of the steps that Louisiana has taken to
improve its business climate include eliminating a
host of business taxes, creating a variety of innovative
and aggressive incentive programs, and introducing
top-notch work force training with its
FastStart™ program, one of the reasons Louisiana
ranked third for its work force development programs.
"We also have done a much better job marketing
our state, and we are putting a lot more attention
on business retention and expansion than we
ever have before," says Stephen Moret, Secretary of
Louisiana Economic Development.Doing Business Survey »
OVERALL RANKINGS
2012
1. Texas
2. South Carolina
3. Georgia
4. Alabama
5. North Carolina
6. Louisiana
7. Tennessee
8. Indiana
9. Mississippi
10. Oklahoma
2011
1. Texas
2. Georgia
3. Alabama
4. South Carolina
5. Indiana
6. Louisiana
7. North Carolina
8. Tennessee
9. Mississippi
10. California
2010
1. Tennessee
2. Texas
3. South Carolina
4. Alabama
5. Georgia
6. Indiana
7. Mississippi
8. North Carolina
9. Virginia
10. Oklahoma
CONSULTANTS COMMENTARY
Winning States Offer Low Taxes, Generous Incentives, and Fewer Regulations
Eric Stavriotis, Senior Vice President, Strategic Consulting, Jones Lang LaSalle
Eric Stavriotis, Senior Vice President, Strategic Consulting, Jones Lang LaSalle
States With Deep Pools of Skilled Workers Come Out on Top
Scott Redabaugh, Managing Director, Jones Lang LaSalle
Scott Redabaugh, Managing Director, Jones Lang LaSalle
Survey of Location Consultants Fails to Capture Progress Made by Many States
Dan Levine, Pricipal, MetroCompare LLC
Dan Levine, Pricipal, MetroCompare LLC
Low Costs, Favorable Business Climates, and Right-to-Work Environments Propel Top States
Kathy Mussio, Managing Partner, Atlas Insight
Kathy Mussio, Managing Partner, Atlas Insight
Part of the acknowledgement for Louisiana's cooperative state government is due to its customized approach in working with companies. Case in point was the state's success in landing a new $10 billion gas-to-liquids complex for South African-based Sasol, which is set to start construction in 2013. Louisiana used a GIS tool to identify land that could be assembled to create a site to meet the company's unique requirements. That assistance helped Sasol cut four to six months off of its development schedule. In addition, the state created a custom incentives package specific to the company's needs.
"When you have a project of that scale, it is a massive undertaking. So for Sasol, having the ability to work very closely with the state, which included a number of different departments, has been a huge selling point for Louisiana," says Moret.
The fact that Louisiana has emerged as a leading state in the economic recovery is due in part to the state's strong energy sector. However, over the past five years, Louisiana also has been successful in attracting a number of new projects across a variety of sectors from manufacturing to healthcare. "We're really seeing growth in six to seven major sectors right now," says Moret. For example, the state's digital media and software development sector is booming thanks in large part to a very attractive tax credit that is available to firms in that industry. "We also have the best recruitment and training effort program in the country to go along with that. So the future is bright for more growth in that sector," he adds.