EP Industrial Park designated Smartsite

The official declaration that the Evangeline Parish Industrial Park has been designated a Cleco “SmartSite” came during a luncheon at the Cock’s Tail Restaurant Wednesday, May 2.

Attending the luncheon were officers of the Evangeline Parish Police Jury, which hosted the luncheon with Cleco, and members of the parish chamber and tourism offices, who coordinated the luncheon. Also at the luncheon were Cleco officials Ben Russo, director of market development, contracts and regulation, and Katie Chaisson, director of business development.

Announcing the SmartSite designation at the luncheon was Mark Sweeney, senior principal of the McCallum Sweeney Consulting firm, which certified the Evangeline Parish Industrial Park as a SmartSite location. The designation indicates that the site has had environmental, archaeological and other assessments so that businesses or industry who locate there can avoid the cost and time needed to make those assessments.

Sweeney was involved in various industries that have sought suitable locations, including Nissan, which constructed a Nissan plant in Mississippi. Other projects he has participated in have involved Boeing, Michelin Tires, and others.

Cleco hired McCallum Sweeney two years ago to develop the Evangeline Parish Industrial Park into the state’s second SmartSite location. The first SmartSite location is at Natchitoches Port.

In a hand-out distributed at the luncheon, Sweeney said “As businesses look to grow, they want to locate properties that are easily permitted, contain no surprises and have available or accessible infrastructure.” The industrial park’s proximity to I-49, a skilled workforce in the area, and a competitive cost of operations are examples.

“We essentially identify all of the things that are important to business and industry so that they know up-front what a piece of property offers,” Sweeney said.

Also attending the luncheon was Dr. William Ward, Evangeline Parish Industrial Board chairman. He said, in the hand-out, “Gaining this certification is one of the best ways to attract new business to the Evangeline Parish area.”

Ward said, “With this property, we can now compete on a national level and attract the attention of businesses that may have overlooked us in the past.”