This past year has been a great for Morehouse Parish with recent news that International Paper will continue operation of the Louisiana Mill in Bastrop. This announcement along with other positive announcements has created a lot of interest in the Bastrop area. Don Terry, Entergy’s Economic Development coordinator for this region indicated in a recent meeting that Bastrop has been identified as one of the areas in North Louisiana with high growth potential. This has come about with the hard work by many individuals and organizations in this parish.

Three years ago, when I took the position of CEO there were three empty buildings in the Coulter Industrial Park. My first priority was to fill those building. Fortunately, I have had the pleasure of having a supportive Board of Directors working with me to implement policies to expedite this process. Working in cooperation with the City of Bastrop, three new companies have been added to the community. We have room to add more in this developed industrial park that adjoins the Morehouse Memorial Airport.

Diversifying the economic base of Morehouse Parish continues to be a priority for creating new jobs. We must look for current trends to target sectors that are growing and look beyond the traditional ideas that worked 20 or 30 years ago. It often requires growing smaller companies which may be attracted to rural communities.

Although regionalization is a growing trend in economic development, local organizations can best address infrastructure needs and have the in-depth knowledge to respond to requests. Local efforts will continue to be important component in promoting the area as we work with our regional partners.