Industrial projects in Louisiana – new and expanding – are booming. What is driving that growth, and what will the impact be?
Baton Rouge is in a unique and strategic location. We have the infrastructure as well as strong logistics support on the lower Mississippi. All of these elements have come together to create opportunities for significant growth. Louisiana Economic Development (LED) has brought in a wave of new projects, generating a great deal of excitement across the region. The questions now are: Can we build the workforce infrastructure that’s going to support the talent pipeline for these projects? Can we quickly identify workforce gaps and train people to fill them? This is something we haven’t fully solved. It’s been a persistent challenge throughout my more than 30 years in industry. Wwe’ve always faced skilled workforce shortages. If we don’t prepare our workers for what’s coming, we’ll continue what’s already happening in northeast Louisiana, where companies are bringing in workers from elsewhere to complete projects. We must be intentional about strengthening our local workforce infrastructure to support these facilities so we can execute these new projects with a trained, local workforce, rather than utilizing workers from outside of our region. This keeps both the jobs and economic impact here at home. If we can connect the systems within our state that support the workforce infrastructure, we will have a powerful way to identify gaps in training. Add AI assistance to this model and we can direct our workers to the jobs needed and relevant training to qualify for those jobs quickly because we don’t have much time to get ready.
Meeting the increasing demand for skilled workers is a monumental challenge. Where do you see progress being made, and where do you seek greater urgency from state, regional and local leaders?
Workforce development is a continuum; it’s not a siloed process. Communication around available jobs has been too generalized. We say we need a workforce, but no one is focusing on defining how many skilled workers are needed to fill these jobs. For every project, depending on the type, there’s a ratio of how many craftspeople and laborers are required. Because of the population distribution, we have a shortage of workers in the Gen X segment. It takes 18 years to build a skilled worker. It’s not going to happen overnight. So, we must ask: “How many workers do we need, with what prescribed skills in order to determine the steps we need to take to get them ready in time for the upcoming jobs?” This requires significant pre-planning and focused coordination between the state, the education system, and industry. The surge in LNG and data center projects is increasing the demand for skilled labor. We are not fully prepared for this level of demand. With tools like AI, we now can move much faster and can identify the needs more precisely instead of funding broad programs. We need to be more intentional — both in how we train people and incentivize workers to enter and stay on those paths. Our workforce infrastructure is going to make or break us in the next couple of decades.
Energy, manufacturing, process industries and other industrial sectors are operating on the leading edge of the technological revolution. How is the integration of AI and other emerging technologies playing out for you and your stakeholders?
Technology isn’t going to replace jobs; it’s going to change them. This shift makes it even more important to invest in workforce infrastructure. We’re already seeing AI drive operational efficiency in meaningful ways — from predictive analytics around equipment, to intelligent scheduling and identifying risks on the critical path of projects. In safety, AI is being used to monitor ergonomics and detect hazards in real time, immediately notifying workers if something needs attention. We’re also seeing training evolve as well. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, AI enables training to adapt to how individuals learn — visual, aural, reading or hands-on — and adjust in real time to improve retention. We’re also seeing innovations in automation and robotics, like the technology that couples a camera with a robotic hydroblasting system to clean rail cars without sending workers into confined spaces. These advancements allow us to do more with fewer people while making work significantly safer. At the same time, even as technology advances, we must continue teaching foundational skill sets that our industry depends on.
What do you consider Louisiana’s most important recent legislative or policy wins for industry, and what do you think should be the top legislative priority for building that momentum?
If we align targeted incentives for these high-demand jobs—such as tax credits—it could help keep our talent in Louisiana while encouraging people to prepare for those roles. When high-demand careers are clearly identified and tied to earning potential, it creates a pathway that supports workforce development and keeps dollars circulating in our state. Another factor to consider is how our policies compare to those in other states. Take homestead protection, for example. In Louisiana, only $35,000 of your home’s equity is protected against creditors. In states like Texas or Florida, 100% of your home’s equity is protected. These policy differences have real consequences; they directly impact decisions about where people choose to build their lives and careers. So, when we talk about workforce and economic development, it’s not just about creating jobs. It’s about creating an environment where people feel financially secure enough to stay, invest, and build their future here.
What is the most critical challenge – and most exciting opportunity – affecting your organization at the moment?
The biggest challenge for our members right now is the disparity among the standard entry requirements to get onto worksites. The lack of standardization makes getting onto the sites painstaking. To create internal efficiencies, some large industrial employers are attempting to move toward a prescribed vendor across all sites nationwide. By doing this, they are creating a domino effect for the contractor companies that work across the Gulf Coast. Because the industrial contractor’s workforce travels across the country, they are sensitive to having to pay for redundant services and, therefore, start to migrate to the vendor that meets most of the facilities’ requirements because it’s “once and done” across multiple facilities. This has created tendencies leaning toward a limited competitive environment, which is not the intent of these larger employers. It also increases costs, reduces customer service, and creates even more delays. Contractors are waiting in line, and in some cases, they’re losing jobs because they can’t get through the “preferred” vendor process fast enough. What these companies don’t often realize is that with today’s technology, especially APIs, you can connect with multiple providers and still meet the same requirements. In fact, allowing multiple providers fosters a competitive environment that drives better pricing and higher levels of customer service. When vendors operate on a standardized playing field, success is determined by performance and value — not by the size of their sales force or their entertainment budget. Giving vendors standards to comply with and contractors options that meet those standards improves service and removes unnecessary friction from the process.
