Homecoming Stories

“It's a very special place, and if you were lucky enough to have been born here and spent time in your formative years here, you have such a warm community to come back to. It's a great lifestyle. … You should return to your roots and give back.”

"There are more meaningful job opportunities here now than ever with such a tight labor market. Companies in Louisiana, your own home state, are looking for talent, so the timing couldn't be better for you to consider to come back.. Before you decide to settle permanently elsewhere, consider your home state. You may be surprised by the opportunities right here at home."

“If you found some solace and peace here as a child, and you're doing big things, and you're fighting the bigger battles, and you want that sense of peace, come home. Come home! There's a lot of things that need to be changed here, but there are so many things that they get right, and it's enough to cradle you and comfort you.”

"Coming home with a fresh set of eyes after you've been away is a wonderful thing. I know we struggle with some things, but every state struggles with some things. I just think that you can come home, you should get involved in your community, get involved in government if you feel strongly enough, and get involved in being a business mentor. The things you don't like about it, try to make a change."

"The time is now. Louisiana is primed for growth, for economic development. It's a perfect opportunity for anyone that is thinking about coming over here to set up their business. And, you know, take it from a lot of businesses: right time, right place. And that's what this is."

“I believe that North Louisiana is on the cusp of great, wonderful things. We've already seen a lot of momentum in that direction. My other piece of advice is network. You know who the people are in your network who have moved back. Talk to them. Find out what's going on."

"A lot of the leaders and the people who are successful or who are contributing to the community, from a nonprofit point of view, are people who have gone and left and then came back. They've got a different perspective on things."

“If people want to go look around, that's fine, but I think they should always be able to look back home and realize, ‘I can 100% have as fulfilling and rewarding a career in Louisiana as anywhere else in this country."

“I'd say there's ultimately no place like home … Sometimes going away and getting a fresh perspective can be positive. But, to me, if you're from Louisiana and you care about our place, and you have already gone and gotten these other experiences, be the change agent to come help solve and fix the things that have frustrated you about our state. You can be part of the solution, as opposed to just looking at things from the outside.”

“If you are someone that has a lot of creative ideas, come to Louisiana. We need people with strong and different ideas, people with passion and conviction. Louisiana has a lot more to offer than perhaps you think."