Jobs for American Graduates (JAG)

Mr. Cohen Guidry was invited to speak to four JAG (Jobs for American Graduates) classes at H.L. Bourgeois High School about economic development.  He took the opportunity to address key talking points for the classes.  When asked about his experience, Mr. Guidry stated, “I must say, speaking to these young people for four hours was truly gratifying for me.  I certainly hope that they got as much out of this as I did! It is a great program with an inspirational sponsor and fantastic students.”

 

·         Introduction and background on Mr. Guidry and TEDA;

·         The importance of proper manners;

·         The importance of a good work ethic;

·         Survey the number of students that have jobs currently;

·         Building a solid resume;

·         Volunteer work demonstrates selflessness;

·         Practicing a proper introduction and handshake;

·         Practicing proper written manners;

·         Treating other with respect from the custodian to the CEO.

Ladies: College scholarship applications being accepted

The Women’s Business Alliance is now accepting applications for its 2022 Academic Scholarship Program.

The program, which will award two $1,000 scholarships in 2022, is available to two types of female students pursuing higher education: the 2022 graduating high-school senior and the non-traditional student.

  • The nontraditional student is one age 25 or older who has returned to a Louisiana college to pursue a degree. Nontraditional applicants must be residents of Terrebonne and/or Lafourche Parishes. Nontraditional applicants must be undergraduate students who have completed one semester of college and have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.

  • Graduating seniors must be residents of Terrebonne and/or Lafourche Parishes and have a cumulative grade-point average of at least a 3.0 and be entering a Louisiana college during the 2022 year.

The scholarship program embodies the Women’s Business Alliance mission of improving the quality of life for women by empowering them in professional endeavors and personal relationships. The scholarship, awarded annually, aims to assist future women business leaders in pursuing their educational goals.

The application form and guidelines can be downloaded from www.tpeda.org/news. Submission deadline for applicants is May 6, 2022.

LOUISIANA ATTRACTIONS SUPPORT GRANT

The Louisiana Attractions Support Grant (LASG) Program awards grants to Louisiana-based tourism attractions to enhance the visitor experience and/or promote and attract visitors to the tourism attractions. Applicants meeting the eligibility criteria below can apply for a $20,000 maximum award, allocating $4,000 of that funding to the mandatory placement of the official Louisiana: Feed Your Soul logo on the homepage of the attraction’s website.

Applications must be postmarked by Tuesday, March 1, 2022.

A link to the Louisiana Attractions Support Grant Program guidelines and application can be found on the Louisiana Office of Tourism Industry Partners webpage.

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Bayou Region Business Organizations Launch Housing Initiative

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Houma, LA – A coalition of local business and industry organizations lead by the Terrebonne

Economic Development Foundation launched on Tuesday, November 3, 2021, a privately

funded initiative to provide short -term temporary housing to local residents and workers

displaced by Hurricane Ida.

“With the support of business and industry in our region and charitable investments from

private donors, we are excited to launch this housing initiative for Terrebonne and Lafourche to

get individuals and families into safe and stable housing. We believe that the private sector can

play a critical role providing housing solutions that supplement the public programs for

emergency housing,” said, Dr. Michael Garcia, Chair of Terrebonne Economic Development

Foundation Board.

Other local business groups participating in the housing initiative include Houma-Terrebonne

Chamber of Commerce, Lafourche Chamber of Commerce, Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce,

South Louisiana Economic Council, South Central Industrial Association, and Bayou Industrial

Group. Additionally, the program will enhance the efforts of many community nonprofits which

have been working on the ground to provide housing assistance to impacted residents of

Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes.

Rising Ransomware Threat to Operational Technology Assets

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OVERVIEW

In recent months, ransomware attacks targeting critical infrastructure have demonstrated the rising threat of ransomware to operational technology (OT) assets and control systems.1

OT components are often connected to information technology (IT) networks, providing a path for cyber actors to pivot from IT to OT networks.2 Given the importance of critical infrastructure to national security and America’s way of life, accessible OT assets are an attractive target for malicious cyber actors seeking to disrupt critical infrastructure for profit or to further other objectives. As demonstrated by recent cyber incidents, intrusions affecting IT networks can also affect critical operational processes even if the intrusion does not directly impact an OT network.

All organizations are at risk of being targeted by ransomware and have an urgent responsibility to protect against ransomware threats. Critical infrastructure asset owners and operators should adopt a heightened state of awareness and voluntarily implement the recommendations listed in this document, including:

• Identify critical processes that must continue uninterrupted in order to provide essential services;

• Develop and regularly test workarounds or manual controls to ensure that critical processes—and the industrial control system (ICS) networks supporting them—can be isolated and continue operating without access to IT networks, if needed;

• Implement robust network segmentation between IT and OT networks; and

• Ensure backup procedures are implemented and regularly tested and that backups are isolated from network connections.

These steps will help critical infrastructure owners and operators improve their entity's functional resilience by reducing their vulnerability to ransomware and the risk of severe business degradation if affected by ransomware.

Greek company invests in Houma logistics hub

Houma, La., June 4, 2021 – Alexander/Ryan Marine & Safety (ARMS) announced today it has purchased an idle manufacturing site to establish an assembly facility and service center in Houma for its customized marine safety solutions, as well as distribution to U.S. and international customers.

“We will keep on serving the growing needs of our customers and partners across the United States as well as of international markets, now having our main logistics hub in Houma,” said Stavros Lalizas, founder/CEO of parent company Lalizas Group of Piraeus, Greece. “The investment we are making (exceeding $3.5 million) not only will assist us in our further development and growth but will also have a positive impact on Terrebonne Parish, creating new opportunities for the local community.”

 Alexander/Ryan’s customized maritime products and services, various marine safety products, including lifeboat systems, sea jet submersible pump systems, life rafts and personnel baskets, will be managed and coordinated on the east-Houma site.   

 “This investment brings a 10-acre four-building site back to commerce after six years,” said Matthew Rookard, Chief Executive Office of Terrebonne Economic Development Authority (TEDA). “We believe Alexander/Ryan’s investment sends a strong signal that Terrebonne is the still right place to serve the maritime industry.”

“ARMS has a strong history and leading position in serving the marine and offshore industry for more than 55 years, providing a wide range safety and protection products tied to what matters both on board and on shore,” said Mark Demmink, CEO of Alexander/Ryan Marine & Safety which is headquartered in Houston, Texas. “We consider this move a significant step forward and are proud to be part of Terrebonne’s community.”

"This is a great day for Terrebonne Parish.  I welcome Lalizas to Terrebonne Parish and want to thank them for investing and creating jobs here in Houma," said Terrebonne Parish President Gordon Dove. "We will continue to look for ways to help grow our economy and create high-skilled jobs with great companies like Alexander/Ryan Marine & Safety."

TEDA has worked to help Lalizas’ team navigate local permitting requirements for the facility at 205 E. Woodlawn Ranch Road with Terrebonne Parish’s Planning and Zoning Department and position itself to yield financial benefits from State of Louisiana’s incentive programs. It will continue to support the company as it builds its workforce locally. Career opportunities will be listed at www.laworks.net.

Alexander/Ryan anticipates completing renovations and beginning operations in the last quarter of 2021.

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CONTACT:

Terrebonne Economic Development Authority          Alexander/Ryan Marine & Safety            

Katherine Theriot                                                                  Mark Demmink

985-873-6890                                                                        713-921-9002

ktheriot@tpeda.org                                                               mark.demmink@alexanderryan.com

Houma shipbuilder will host job fair next week as it seeks to hire more than 100 workers

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Gulf Island Fabrication will conduct a job fair Feb. 25 as it seeks to hire 106 workers at its Houma shipyard.

The career fair, supported by LED FastStart, will take place from noon to 6 p.m. at Fletcher Technical Community College, 224 Weatherford Drive, Schriever. It will be held in the BP Integrated Production Technologies building, behind the main campus building.

Workers can apply at bit.ly/GulfIslandApply for positions that include welder, tacker, ship fitter, pipe fitter and foreman, Louisiana Economic Development said in a news release Thursday.

Applicants attending the career fair in person should bring updated résumés. Gulf Island will be making contingent job offers the day of the event to candidates selected during the interview process.

Job seekers can also register at bit.ly/37puGnK to participate in the job fair online instead of in person. A Gulf Island representative will be available for online interviews in the event’s virtual booth from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 25.

The Houston-based company announced Oct. 21 that it would expand the work force at its Houma shipyard to complete a backlog of work that includes ferries, university research vessels and Navy salvage and rescue ships.

"Due to our long duration contracts with the U.S. Navy and the National Science Foundation, we have an active recruiting effort underway for both professional and skilled craft positions, with an immediate need to hire over 100 craft individuals into our Shipyard Division,” company CEO Richard W. Heo said at the time.

Louisiana Economic Development estimates the expansion will also result in 123 indirect jobs, for a total of 229 new jobs for Terrebonne Parish. Gulf Island will also retain 308 existing jobs at its shipyard along the Houma Navigation Canal.

Call for Requests for Proposals February 17, 2021

Terrebonne Economic Development Authority is seeking professional-service providers to assist small businesses with such services as accounting, legal, marketing, management, planning, human resources and financial.

TEDA shall pay for these contract services on a fee-for-services arrangement at an hourly rate; confidentiality agreement may be required. TEDA shall contract with respondents on an as needed, as requested basis and reserves the right not to contract with respondents. Clients shall be matched to consultants from a pool based on qualifications and need.

Proposals for services to be rendered should be structured on a per-hour basis and will be contingent upon funding/review by external. Proposals must:

1.       Demonstrate adequate staffing and capacity to provide services, date of registration with Louisiana Secretary of State’s office and Terrebonne Parish Occupational License.

2.       Describe qualifications, certifications, and experience relevant to services offered; experience should include examples of how/when experience was obtained.

3.       State willingness to present on topic of expertise in a public educational seminar/webinar format. Cost per half-hour should be included; initial preference may be given to those offering presentations free of charge.

4.       State number of clients and/or hours available for technical assistance per year; program may continue for up to three years.

5.       Describe hourly rate structure for one-on-one client assistance sessions.

6.       Proposals should address one or more areas outlined below.

Immediately send proposals, qualifications and proposed rate structure to Terrebonne Economic Development Authority at bizresponse@tpeda.org to qualify. Proposals will be accepted until close of business February 25, 2021. Preference may be given for proximity to Terrebonne Parish. Services may begin in March 2021.

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GULF ISLAND TO EXPAND SHIPYARD WORKFORCE NEAR HOUMA

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Shipbuilding project will add 106 new direct jobs in Terrebonne Parish

BATON ROUGE, La. — Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards and Gulf Island Fabrication Inc. President and CEO Richard W. Heo announced the company will expand its Shipyard Division workforce near Houma. The company will create 106 new direct jobs at an average annual salary of $48,000, plus benefits, to accommodate orders for marine vessel construction. Those orders include ferries, university research vessels funded by the National Science Foundation, and towing, salvage and rescue ships for the U.S. Navy.                                                                                                              

Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in 123 new indirect jobs, for a total of 229 new jobs for Terrebonne Parish and the Bayou Region. Gulf Island also is retaining 308 existing jobs at its Shipyard Division facility along the Houma Navigation Canal.

“Gulf Island has long been recognized as a leader in the construction and repair of marine vessels,” Gov. Edwards said. “Shipyards have been a pillar of our coastal economy for many years, and this employment expansion at the company’s shipyard facility near Houma is welcome news for Terrebonne Parish and the surrounding area. Gulf Island should find our skilled workforce in the Bayou Region ready and able to take on the shipyard’s increasing workload.”

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Dual crises take toll on Louisiana oil industry

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An oil price war and the coronavirus causing a collapse in the global economy have smacked Louisiana’s oil and gas industry with a devastating one-two punch.West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark price, reached $20.25 per barrel on Monday, a price not seen since 1999. The price on Jan. 1 was $61.06, a drop of 66% over the past 90 days.The world has so much oil that producers are beginning to worry that they will soon have no place to store it.No hard information is available yet, but industry sources say oil and gas producers and service companies are canceling contracts and shedding workers as a result.Shell has pulled out of a multibillion-dollar deal to renovate a liquefied natural gas terminal in Calcasieu Parish, citing uncertain market conditions and the coronavirus crisis. The company’s Dallas-based partner, Energy Transfer, expects to continue the project but reduce its size. Energy Transfer expects to “evaluate various alternatives to advance the project,” including finding another equity stake partner. The project was estimated to create up to 5,000 construction jobs and 200 permanent full-time jobs once operational.For the industry, the most immediate potential solution — to have the federal government buy enough oil to fill the country’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve — would provide only a short-term benefit for some companies.The overall situation “is an existential threat for companies,” said David Dismukes, executive director of LSU’s Center for Energy Studies. “Nobody is walking out of this unscathed. It is truly sobering.”The price drop will have major implications for Louisiana, though the economy has diversified since a mid-1980s oil bust. Today, direct oil and gas jobs account for nearly 2% of the state workforce and about 6% of state revenue, said Jim Richardson, an LSU economist.The fallout will be particularly difficult for oil-dependent Houma and Lafayette, although Lafayette has diversified its economy in recent years.

“Oil companies have been cutting the heck out of their capital budgets — multibillion-dollar cutbacks,” Scott said. “If a project hasn’t started, they’ll delay it. They’re going to their suppliers and saying they have to cut them. In the short run, it’s not happy for the state of Louisiana.”

The Trump administration has tried to exert its influence with the Saudi Arabian government.

“We’re awash in oil,” said Scott. “This can be corrected with a phone call if Trump can persuade the Saudis to not put all this extra oil on the market. If they reduce their production to the same level before, the price will go back to the $40s.”

U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said he participated in a conference call last week with a dozen colleagues from energy-producing states with the Saudi Arabian oil minister.

“It was a rough call,” Kennedy said. “You’ll see bills introduced in the Senate that the Saudis won’t like. They have really put in jeopardy their relationship with the United States.”

Gifford Briggs, president of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association, said a recent survey of members indicated that independent drillers and service companies will probably reduce their job force by 60% to 70% in the coming three months.

In January, Louisiana had about 34,000 workers in the oil and gas business, and their spending multiplied throughout the economy.

“As one operator told me, if prices haven’t recovered to $40 by June 1, there will be a blood bath,” Briggs said.

Briggs and Gray both would like to see the federal government buy the 77 million barrels of oil needed to fill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which serves as a sort of oil bank.

“For a smaller company, it would be a bigger deal,” said Gray, who represents the major oil companies. “For our folks, it would be on a case-by-case basis.”

Kennedy said Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette told him that he believes he can find the money in his budget to buy the oil. At $38 per barrel, the cost would be about $3 billion. Two of the sites are in Louisiana.

Dismukes said the $3 billion might sound like a lot, but it’s not given the size of multibillion-dollar investments in oil and gas. Besides, he said, the money would purchase only six days of production in the United States.

Still, Briggs said that would be meaningful to his members, even if the selling price is $20 per barrel.

“It’s better than zero,” he said.

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