Business/Industry

Northwest Louisiana is made up of 10 parishes (counties) with a population of nearly 450,000. Some 91 communities, ranging from small villages to the region’s largest city, Shreveport, with a population of over 215,000, are located in the area. The 10 parishes include Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, DeSoto, Lincoln, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine and Webster.

The district contains approximately 18 percent of the total land area of the State. It is bounded on the west by Texas and on the north by Arkansas, and is bisected from the southeast to the northwest by the Red River. The area is approximately 85 miles in width and 130 miles in length. The cities of Dallas, Ft. Worth and Houston, Texas; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; Little Rock, Arkansas; Jackson, Mississippi; Birmingham, Alabama; Memphis, Tennessee; and Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana, are all located within one day’s shipping by motor freight from Shreveport.

The 17 million consumers which can be reached by one day shipping from the region has been an important factor in Northwest Louisiana becoming a major warehousing/distribution/manufacturing center for the mid-south United States. Enhancing this position is the Shreveport-Bossier City Customs Port of Entry, which enables local companies to save time and money on imports, and the availability of Foreign Trade Zone/sub-zone operations which can be arranged for interested companies.

Scores of national and international companies have operations in the region. The movement by these top corporations into the area was not by accident. It was based on hard business decisions which took into account a number of profit-oriented factors, including: favorable tax laws, a highly productive labor force, low-cost land, abundant natural resources, excellent transportation facilities and a mild climate that allows out-door activities year around.

When all is said and done, a qualified and productive work force is often the “bottom line” of a profitable business venture. In Northwest Louisiana, this is our principal resource – our workers still believe in a day’s work for a day’s pay. The average worker in Louisiana is younger than the average worker in the United States. The median age here is 25 compared to 28 for the nation. The entry of women into the work force also has played a significant part in the industrial growth of Northwest Louisiana.

Louisiana’s mild climate also plays an important part in the profitability of local industries. Not only does the favorable weather aid in the original plant construction phase and the good worker attendance records, it also provides year around recreation and leisure hours for those who live here. The mean temperature for the state is 67.40F. January, of course, is the coldest month, with only a few days below freezing, and August is the warmest with a statewide average of 820F.

In our web site we have briefly outlined a few of the advantages our area makes available to companies such as yours. If you would like further information on our area, we welcome the opportunity of meeting with you face-to-face either here in Northwest Louisiana or at your home offices, at your convenience. You may contact us via phone or use our handy Information Request Form.

Once you’ve learned more about Northwest Louisiana and the many advantages we can provide your company, we know you will join us in agreeing that: “All in all, Northwest Louisiana is the ideal place to locate your next manufacturing facility or warehousing/distribution operation.”