[StBernard] A Turning Point For Louisiana

[Westley Annis]

Dear Friends,


We traveled to Monroe yesterday to announce that Louisiana's own
CenturyLink, our newest Fortune 500 Company headquartered here, will be
expanding to create 800 new jobs. This 800-job expansion comes just a year
and a half after we announced a 350-job expansion at CenturyLink. Since that
last announcement, we worked side-by-side with CenturyLink to help retain
and grow their company here in Louisiana. The new expansion will not only
create 800 new jobs at CenturyLink with an average salary of $65,000 plus
benefits, but it will also result in the creation of more than 1,100 new
jobs in Northeast Louisiana. 


 <http://images.publicaster.com/ImageLibrary/account848/images/20110629.jpg>
This is truly transformational news, and as I told the Monroe News-Sta
<http://cl.publicaster.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c7973%7c9390%7c791501&
digest=eniT04fNIMNQ%2f%2bQlJWaj%2bQ&sysid=1> r, I predict CenturyLink's
800-job expansion is a turning point for Monroe and our entire state.
CenturyLink's expansion shows that a company started right here in Louisiana
can compete with any company in the world - and win. 


The expansion also shows that we're creating the right environment for
businesses to grow and succeed so we can create jobs for our people - and
folks are taking notice of our efforts all across the state. In fact, a
recent column in the Detroit Free Press
<http://cl.publicaster.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c7974%7c9390%7c791501&
digest=10BQ%2f9QCu2m%2fCZqU%2bEDotQ&sysid=1>  said that Michigan should
follow our lead so they can attract more businesses to their state. The
columnist noted that we've revamped our economic development programs and
cut taxes, which in turn has made Louisiana one of the top states for
attracting new business investment. 


While we have made incredible progress in growing our economy over the last
three and a half years, we must keep working hard to create jobs so all of
our kids can pursue their dreams here at home. 


This week we also marked the opening of the new Marine Forces Reserve
headquarters, which is part of the Federal City complex in Algiers. The
Department of Defense wanted to close some of the military operations at
this site, but we stepped up and committed $150 million in state funding to
secure the site and protect jobs for folks in the New Orleans area, while
also protecting the historic military infrastructure there. This project is
critical for Louisiana's economy, but most importantly, it's about
supporting our military and ensuring they have the resources they deserve. 


I know we will see even more exciting job win announcements in the weeks and
months ahead. States like Michigan and others all across the country will
continue to notice that Louisiana is on the move. 

Governor Bobby Jindal