Measuring Our 4 CATALYST. The Creative Capital. Agenda is comprised. of six strategies that. work together to drive. economic development

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1 OUR PROGRESS Measuring Our The Creative Capital Agenda is comprised of six strategies that work together to drive economic development in the Baton Rouge Area. Each issue of Catalyst Success features an update on the progress of each of these six strategies, as well as a preview of upcoming goals and activities. 4 CATALYST

2 Job Creation International Development From January to April, fifty-one retention and expansion visits were conducted. From these meetings, BRAC discovered two potential expansion projects and two companies were identified as new candidates for Louisiana Economic Development s Economic Gardening project. During this time period, the business development team announced 1,310 new jobs created in the region and $1.52 billion in capital investment. Since the start of 2013, BRAC has begun working with six new international projects representing over $1.5 billion in capital investment and over 900 new jobs for the Baton Rouge Area. The companies are concentrated in steel production and chemical manufacturing. Four of the six companies have made multiple visits to investigate sites and two of these international companies are negotiating options and conducting due diligence on the sites under consideration. One international project, Methanex, announced the second phase of their investment in the Capital Region, resulting in thirty-five jobs and $550 million in capital investment. Summary of Business Development Prospect Activity TYPE Project count Change Current Count from Jan. 1 job count (estimates) Change Current Count from Jan Project Wins ,360 +1,360 Prospects: Class A ,136 Prospects: Class B , Prospects: TOTAL , Entrepreneurship & Innovation In January, BRAC assisted with the launch of IdeaCrossing in the region. This is a free, web-based resource designed to help entrepreneurs create connections that build businesses. Whether an entrepreneur is interested in being matched to new business mentors or potential investors, accessing a regional directory of service providers or inviting existing advisors to collaborate privately online, this tool is designed to quickly expand engagement with the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem. JANUARY APRIL

3 Global Branding Talent Development BRAC continues to use the Creative Capital of the South brand to take the lead in promoting events in the region. The event newsletter, Celebrate!, which is sent out via every other Thursday, has become a popular tool for businesses and organizations to spread the word about what s happening in the Capital Region. BRAC receives several submissions each month from investors and non-investors who want to use this tool as part of their promotional activities. BRAC has partnered with the LSU and Southern University Alumni Associations to attend alumni crawfish boils in cities such as Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, New York, and San Diego to recruit talented professionals back to the Capital Region. At each crawfish boil, a BRAC staff member speaks with alumni in attendance about the growth and development in the Capital Region, as well as job opportunities available, in an effort to grow our database of résumés. Since the start of 2013, BRAC has begun working with six new international projects representing over $1.5 billion in capital investment and over 900 new jobs for the Baton Rouge Area. Regional Competitiveness The Economic Competitiveness team has been involved in a variety of activities in Early in the year, BRAC convened a Tax Policy Committee to review the governor s proposed tax package. Under the lead of the transportation council, the organization engaged with CATS by working with stakeholders to promote a vision for a successful transit system and monitored the interim CEO selection process. Under the direction of the Education Council, BRAC has taken the lead in advocating for passage of the Committee for Educational Excellence s Strategic Plan for the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. Through the Crime Council and based on BRAC research, the organization is exploring funding mechanisms for a twenty-fourhour misdemeanor jail. Work also continues in the areas of workforce development, higher education, small business, and health care. 6 CATALYST

4 BRAC s Economic Development Partners Ascension Economic Development Corporation Office of the Mayor-President, City of Baton Rouge/ Parish of East Baton Rouge East Feliciana Economic Development District Iberville Chamber of Commerce Livingston Economic Development Council Greater Pointe Coupee Chamber of Commerce St. Helena Parish Economic Development Committee West Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce West Feliciana Parish PROJECT WINS IBM 800 jobs In March, IBM announced plans to open a new services center in downtown Baton Rouge, creating eight hundred direct new jobs. Additionally, a $55 million real estate investment is being made to construct a new, state of the art, mixed-use building which will transform the skyline of downtown Baton Rouge. The new development will include office space, an eleven-story residential building with ninety-five river-view apartments, and nine town homes. IBM will be partnering with local universities, such as LSU, to advance technology skills and job creation in the region. The presence of such a large, well-known, and respected company will bolster the information economy of the Capital Region a highgrowth, high-wage sector in the U.S. This new center will also serve as a magnet for young professionals, both as a recruitment tool for new talent and for bringing back home-grown talent. This center exemplifies IBM s longtime commitment to partner with local communities and academic institutions to develop the capabilities our clients need. This new center is part of our extensive global network of centers and benefits from our extensive experience delivering to industry leading clients. Our global capability model is designed to address the broadest spectrum of client requirements, build and deliver advanced skills, while inspiring and sustaining the next-generation workforce that drives innovation. The Baton Rouge Area is an excellent location for this new center. We are excited about the opportunity this presents for the city and for IBM, said Tim McLachlan, Vice President, IBM Services Center: Baton Rouge. JANUARY APRIL

5 OUR PROGRESS Katoen Natie USA 210 jobs $150 MM Katoen Natie USA (Katoen Natie) announced that they will invest $150 million to build a plastics storage, custom packaging, and distribution facility for petrochemical product producers in the Baton Rouge Area. The project will create 210 direct jobs and an estimated 516 new indirect jobs. BRAC was able to identify Katoen Natie through its lead generation program. The team then worked with Louisiana Economic Development (LED) and the City of Baton Rouge to bring the project to the Baton Rouge Area. The first phase of the project is expected to begin in mid with targeted completion at the beginning of The company expects the entire Baton Rouge facility to be completed by We are excited about the new project that will expand our U.S. and global network, said Frank Vingerhoets, Katoen Natie s president of petrochemicals in North America. This state-of-the-art facility will help absorb the increasing production capacity of our customers, which is in relation to the shale gas growth in the U.S. The cooperation with BRAC and the local authorities has been great, and their efforts have contributed to our decision to invest in the Baton Rouge Area. Genesis Energy 50 jobs $125 MM Houston-based Genesis Energy announced plans to invest $125 million in the Baton Rouge Area. The investment will modernize and expand the company s existing terminal in Port Hudson. It will also fund the construction of an eighteen-mile, twenty-inch-diameter crude oil pipeline that connects to ExxonMobil s Baton Rouge refinery and a new crude oil unit train facility. BRAC helped to connect Genesis with ExxonMobil. The project will create fifty new jobs in the area, with an average salary of $80,000 a year, plus benefits. Genesis investment will help expand the infrastructure of the local refining industry. Construction on the terminal upgrades and the crude oil pipeline are expected to begin in early 2013 and be completed by the end of With the expansion of our operations in Louisiana, Genesis looks forward to a strong future in the state and an increase in our contribution to the regional economy, Genesis Energy president and chief operating officer Steve Nathanson said. Genesis is committed to being a good neighbor to the Capital Region. 8 CATALYST

6 BioNitrogen 250 jobs $1.25 BN BioNitrogen, a Florida-based company, announced plans to build five plants in Pointe Coupee Parish that will convert agricultural waste into fertilizer. Each of the plants will hire about 52 full-time employees, creating a total of 260 jobs over the entire facility. Two sources of fuel will be used by the Pointe Coupee fertilizer plant: scrap trees and waste from saw mills and sugar cane bagasse. Bryan Kornegay, the company s president and CFO, grew up in Baton Rouge and graduated from Episcopal. The Baton Rouge Area, and specifically Pointe Coupee Parish, is a prime location for our new plants as the region provides ample natural resources. It has been a pleasure to work with BRAC and the regional partners as we work to launch this new endeavor. I look forward to getting back to the Capital Region, said Kornegay. Turner Industries 15 jobs $10 MM Turner Industries announced the Mason Avenue Equipment Services Center project, which, in addition to creating fifteen new full-time jobs, will retain over one hundred full-time jobs. Turner Industries is a family-owned industrial contractor headquartered in Baton Rouge that specializes in heavy industrial construction, maintenance, pipe, module and vessel fabrication, equipment, rigging and heavy hauling, and associated specialty services. Turner is committed to continued smart growth of its operations, said Roland Toups, chairman and CEO at Turner Industries. Building a diversified business model to assure financial stability has been a successful strategy over the years. In fact, we were just honored when that performance was nationally recognized by Engineering News-Record last month with their prestigious Outstanding Contractor of the Year Award for both Texas and Louisiana in FY2012. Methanex 35 jobs $550 MM Methanex, a Canada-based company, announced a second phase that will double the capacity of their facility currently under construction. This phase will involve a $550 million investment and will create an additional thirty-five jobs. The company announced plans in 2012 to relocate a methanol production plant from Chile to a 225-acre site in Geismar, creating 130 new jobs and $394 million in capital investment. We are proud to further our investment in Louisiana, and specifically the Baton Rouge Area. We want to thank everyone in the region for their support, states Gary Rowan, Vice President of Corporate Development for Methanex. JANUARY APRIL