Louisiana Green Fuels, SafeSource Direct Earn National Honors for Community Impact

BATON ROUGE, La. – Two Louisiana economic development projects have been honored with national CiCi Awards, which annually recognize the top community impact and corporate investment projects of the preceding year.

SafeSource Direct’s personal protective equipment manufacturing facilities in Lafayette and Broussard earned a CiCi Award in the community impact category. Also receiving a community impact CiCi Award was Louisiana Green Fuels, which is planning a renewable diesel refinery in Caldwell Parish.

The 16th annual awards, selected by Trade & Industry Development magazine, honor 15 winners in the categories of corporate investment and community impact, for a total of 30 award-winning projects nationwide. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the two Louisiana projects receiving recognition this year could produce more than 2,700 new jobs and over $850 million in new capital investment during the next decade.

“New economic projects are victories for everyone in Louisiana because they create jobs, investment and activity for our local communities,” LED Secretary Don Pierson said. “The two projects selected for CiCi Awards exemplify the community impact of a successful economic development strategy: creating new opportunities, employing new technologies, and producing highly sought-after products.”

SafeSource’s new facilities in St. Martin and Lafayette parishes will create PPE, including nitrile gloves, hair and beard coverings, surgical gowns and more, for Louisiana markets and the U.S. at large. The company’s investment in the Acadiana region is generating 1,221 direct new jobs and an estimated 992 indirect jobs.

Louisiana Green Fuels’ $700 million renewable diesel refinery project in Caldwell Parish would create 76 direct jobs, and Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project would result in 412 indirect jobs. The company, a subsidiary of Strategic Biofuels, plans to incorporate carbon capture and sequestration at the facility, bringing emissions-reduction technology to rural Louisiana. A final investment decision is expected by the end of 2022.

“We received hundreds of nominations for our CiCi Awards,” said Trade & Industry Development publisher Scott Swoger. “All the projects were exciting and inspiring, so it was a challenge to narrow down the field to 28 winners, but we feel we have a great representation of projects of all sizes and types. Whether the investments are large or small, new builds or expansions of existing facilities, their choices to locate or expand in certain localities will add value both to the communities and the economy as a whole.”

About Trade & Industry Development
Produced four times a year, Trade & Industry Development is dedicated to site selection in a vertical format. As the only publication of its kind, T&ID reaches more decision-makers per industry than any other publication dealing with site selection. Editorial content, in the magazine, online at TradeAndIndustryDev.com, and through targeted newsletters, is geared to executive decision-makers with pertinent, useful site selection and business knowledge for their market. T&ID also has extensive digital marketing and integrated marketing capabilities.

About LED
Louisiana Economic Development is responsible for strengthening the state’s business environment and creating a more vibrant Louisiana economy. In 2021, LED attracted 64 new economic development projects representing over 18,100 new direct and indirect jobs, 9,700 retained jobs and more than $20.6 billion in new capital investment. LED cultivates jobs and economic opportunity for the people of Louisiana, and promotes business opportunity for employers of all sizes. For more information, visit OpportunityLouisiana.com.