ST. FRANCISVILLE – Governor Bobby Jindal’s 2010 parish tour – “Building a Better LA for Our Children” – stopped in West Feliciana Parish today where he addressed the St. Francisville Chamber of Commerce. The Governor’s tour will stop in every parish to highlight the significant progress his administration has made to create a New Louisiana that is the best place in the world to raise a family, get a great education and pursue a rewarding career. The Governor cited the BP oil spill, the President’s deepwater drilling moratorium and the national economic downturn as challenges for the state, but he emphasized that these challenges will not get in the way of building a better Louisiana because the people of Louisiana will persevere and overcome these obstacles. Read full story.

As part of the story, the Governor announced nearly 30 economic development wins that will create thousands of new jobs and retain thousands more. Below are some examples:

• TraceSecurity, a Baton Rouge-based high-tech firm, announced earlier this year that it will relocate two of its key operating divisions, software development and national sales, from Dallas and San Diego to Baton Rouge. The relocation will create 45 new direct jobs and 72 indirect jobs.
• Electronic Arts, the world’s leading interactive entertainment software company, established its first global quality assurance center in Baton Rouge, strengthening Louisiana’s leadership role in the rapidly growing digital media industry.
• Tyson Foods and Syntroleum Corporation formed a new joint-venture, Dynamic Fuels, which will create high-quality diesel fuel from animal fats. This joint-venture will create 45 new, direct jobs, 366 new, indirect jobs, and it represents a $140 million capital investment.
• Albemarle Corporation, a Fortune 1000 chemical company, relocated its corporate headquarters from Richmond, Virginia to Baton Rouge, citing confidence in Louisiana’s business climate, leadership, and reforms.

Governor Jindal said that while these statistics show significant progress, these jobs wins are about more than just numbers. The Governor told the story of someone from the Capital Region to show how these economic development wins are helping Louisianians.