Business leaders will be listening carefully when John Bel Edwards speaks after taking his oath of office Monday morning. They will want to hear his plan for prosperity.
As president of the business development group Greater New Orleans, Incorporated, Michael Hecht is optimistic about the incoming governor. He was co-chair of the economic transition team Edwards assembled after his victory.
“I hope that the governor expresses support for economic growth and business, and I hope that he recognizes that Louisiana actually has a lot going for it in terms of being a place where business can thrive," Hecht said. "We’ve got extraordinary infrastructure. We’ve got the river. We’ve got a highly trained workforce. And of course we have low and available natural gas.”
That energy market is having a hard time now – with low oil prices. Hecht says he hopes Edwards will see a need to diversify.
“It’s not going to have the devastating impact of the oil slump of the ‘80s because other industries – like petrochemical, like transportation, like tourism – are actually doing very well,” Hecht said.
The transition team also came up with recommendations for job training, research and development at colleges and universities and workforce development.
