Our Vision for SWLA

Southwest Louisiana and its five parishes are defined by a strong customer service mindset and a commitment to supporting its communities and industries. Together, they form a thriving region that continues to push new frontiers in business and innovation by leveraging local assets and a skilled workforce, positioning Southwest Louisiana as one of the fastest-growing areas in the state while driving sustained business and population growth across the region.

Built to grow Southwest Louisiana.

Our operating departments have clear objectives as we strive to reach the regional goal of adding 100,000 people to SWLA’s population over the next decade.

Department

Economic Development

The core and foundation for regional economic development organizations.

Economic development drives business attraction, economic expansion, and job creation through intentional, relationship-driven work and alignment of local assets with companies’ needs.

Understanding economic trends, generating new leads, proactively building and managing a project pipeline, attracting new companies aligned with the region’s strengths, and supporting employers and innovators can lay the foundation for adaptive, strategic growth.

Strengthening the SWLA Alliance’s capacity to conduct business development, research and intelligence gathering, site identification and certification, infrastructure planning, expansion of innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems, and business expansion and retention activities will improve how the region identifies opportunities, targets prospects, and makes decisions that drive economic growth.

Department

Workforce Development

A ready, trained, and qualified workforce for the jobs being created now.

As new investments accelerate, Southwest Louisiana’s economy is positioned to not only recover from the decline and devastation of the early 2020s but to excel to unprecedented heights.

This opportunity hinges on the availability of a ready, trained, and qualified workforce to fill the thousands of jobs being created by new investments and current projects and replace the thousands of vacant jobs projected to open as a result of retirements and attrition.

Meeting and sustaining this massive, urgent demand for skilled talent will require a whole-of-region approach, which the SWLA Alliance can support by helping to scale systems, partnerships, and programs that boost career awareness, improve access to training and employment opportunities, and align education and training programs with real-time employer needs across the region.

Department

Policy and Advocacy

A convenor for the five-parish region.

With several agencies in the region working to streamline processes and speed up approval timeframes, the SWLA Alliance supports and reinforces these efforts through on-the-ground insights from business and community leaders and residents across the five-parish region.

The SWLA Alliance’s advocacy role extends well beyond public policy improvements, where it can serve as a convenor in close partnership with the Southwest Louisiana Regional Planning Commission, bringing together needs, requests, programs, and projects that can significantly drive positive impact for the region, from funding requests for critical infrastructure or quality of life projects to state or federal programs that can elevate economic outcomes in Southwest Louisiana.

These efforts can also help build shared awareness, deepen regional collaboration, and drive compromise among stakeholders who may have varying missions, but all of whom seek positive, sustained economic growth for the communities and organizations they represent.

Department

Marketing and Communications

Visibility, trust, and momentum around the region’s growth.

Public relations, communications, and marketing are vital for generating visibility, building trust, and maintaining momentum around the region’s economic growth and related priorities.

A strong, unified, and authoritative message emanating from the region’s economic development organization will help showcase the region’s progress, attract talent and investment, highlight regional assets, demonstrate collective progress to both internal and external audiences, and reinforce a shared sense of identity and optimism among residents and stakeholders.

Affiliated Organization

The Greater Lake Charles Chamber of Commerce

Hands-on support for the businesses that build the region.

The Chamber operates where regional economic development organizations do not, providing hands-on support, networking, training, and engagement opportunities to businesses seeking such support.

The SWLA Alliance will begin the process of repositioning and rebranding its chamber function as The Greater Lake Charles Chamber of Commerce, one that is clearly focused on providing necessary support for businesses primarily in the Lake Charles area, and areas of the region where small and mid-sized businesses are underserved, to network and grow, while other areas of the SWLA Alliance focus on more traditional regional economic development activities.

The goal of the chamber of commerce is to promote, strengthen, and support the businesses within its membership community, helping to ensure local enterprises have the resources, visibility, and connections they need to thrive, from networking events and peer connections to sponsorships and marketing exposure.