
REV Broadband starts fiber optics project
REV Broadband has broken ground on a fiber optics project that will initially connect more than 400 Houma area businesses to more reliable internet upload and download speeds within its first phase.
“If there’s one thing the current pandemic has taught us is that our communities’ businesses — rebuilding, revving back up or setting up shop as first-time ventures — need reliable, consistent and equal up and down speeds to compete in an enhanced and expanded level of commerce attracting customers next door and on the other side of the world,” said Josh Descant, CEO of REV Broadband, the parent company of RTC, Eatel, Eatel Business, Vision Communications and VENYU.
Information is at eatelbusiness.com/business-internet.
St. Tammany groups partner on Shop Local
St. Tammany Corp., the St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce and the SLU Small Business Development Center are partnering with the Shop Local Nola directory for verified, locally owned businesses in the Greater New Orleans area.
“St. Tammany Corp. is proud to join our partners in support of Shop Local Nola,” said Chris Masingill, CEO of St. Tammany Corp. “ShopLocalNola.com is a free resource for businesses in St. Tammany Parish to stay accessible to their existing customers and reach new patrons.”
In St. Tammany Parish, an estimated 96.8% of businesses meet the definition of a small business, employing fewer than 50 workers, officials said.
La. wins publication’s Silver Shovel Award
Area Development magazine has recognized Louisiana for one of the nation’s best economic development performances in the past year by presenting the state with a 2021 Silver Shovel Award.
The 2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards honor states that create the most significant impact from 10 leading investment and job creation projects during 2020.
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This year’s award marks the 10th time in 12 years that Louisiana has won Area Development’s Silver Shovel Award. The magazine evaluates states, giving weighted scores for highly valued jobs per capita, the amount of investment, the number of new facilities and industry diversity. Projects submitted by Louisiana represent more than $11.4 billion in capital investment and 2,290 new direct jobs.
A proposed $9.2 billion Grön Fuels Complex at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge, with an estimated 1,025 direct jobs, led Louisiana’s list of submitted projects. The other projects on the list include Mitsubishi Chemical’s $1 billion, 125-job manufacturing facility in Ascension Parish; a $100 million, 500-job Amazon fulfillment center in Lafayette Parish; a $825 million, 60-job expansion of REG Geismar in Ascension Parish; and a 20-job, $244 million expansion at ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge refinery.
Additional projects included SchoolMint’s 178-job facility in Lafayette Parish; Westfield Fluid Controls’ $5.1 million, 67-job aerospace manufacturing project in Lafayette Parish; Service Corporation International’s $500,000, 115-job corporate office expansion in Jefferson Parish; Click Here Digital’s $1.2 million, 100-job headquarters expansion in East Baton Rouge Parish; and E.I. Williams’ 100-job manufacturing facility in Webster Parish.
Louisiana’s economic development projects merited a 2021 Silver Shovel Award in the category for states of 3 million to 5 million people.
Sensory food evaluation course set in August
The LSU AgCenter will conduct a Sensory Evaluation of Food course from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 17-18 in Room 204 of the Animal and Food Sciences Building at LSU.
Ashley Gutierrez, AgCenter research and development food scientist, said the course will provide an overview of sensory evaluation of foods and its applications for food scientists, research and development scientists, quality assurance and quality control scientists and sensory professionals who wish to conduct sensory analysis.
Applications of sensory evaluation include new product development, product improvement, product maintenance, new product potential or category appraisal and product claim substantiation.
“This course is appropriate for the beginners who wish to understand fundamental principles behind the basic sensory tests,” Gutierrez said.
Information is at https://bit.ly/32AalcD.
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