Lake Charles Named Louisiana Development Ready Community

LAKE CHARLES, La. – Louisiana Economic Development has recognized the City of Lake Charles as the newest Louisiana Development Ready Community (LDRC), the latest of 27 active designated parishes or municipalities in the state.

Communities in the LDRC program are guided through the process of creating and implementing a strategic economic development plan. The program, which began in 2008, helps communities become more competitive for new investment and jobs as participants leverage local assets and address unique challenges to empower business growth in their communities over multiple years.

“LED recognizes that economic development begins at the local level, and we are proud to welcome Lake Charles as our newest Louisiana Development Ready Community,” LED Chief Economic Competitiveness Officer Ileana Ledet said. “When we empower individual communities through programs like LDRC, we are not only strengthening local economies, but enhancing competitiveness statewide. Congratulations to Lake Charles on this achievement.”

To secure the LDRC designation, the city and a committee of local business and community leaders worked with LED to complete a community assessment, survey residents and businesses, prioritize goals from existing strategic plans and set new economic development goals in Lake Charles. To help with implementation of the plan, LED will continue to identify and connect the city with programs and resources to achieve its goals.

“Our year began with Lake Charles being named a city on the rise by Southern Living Magazine and it is ending with news of us being certified as a Louisiana Development Ready Community. These are two achievements we are extremely proud of, and we are honored to have both as feathers in our cap,” said Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter. “Being an LDRC reaffirms to developers and investors that we are open for business and we look forward to new opportunities for economic development and growth as a result of this esteemed designation. I would like to thank the team at LED and our local committee who worked tirelessly over the past year to get our application across the finish line. Lake Charles truly is a city on the rise and this designation further exemplifies that.”

“Being a Development Ready Community is another step forward in preparing Lake Charles for future growth and investment,” Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance President and CEO George Swift said. “This comprehensive evaluation provided by LED helps position the city to better compete for new opportunities and sustained excellence. The Alliance believes that good strategic planning is a key aspect of successful economic development.”

For more information about the LDRC program, visit the LED website or contact LED Senior Director of Community Competitiveness Stacey Duvic at stacey.duvic@la.gov or 225.342.4703.