News release Public Information Office   SLU 10880   Hammond, LA 70402   phone: 985-549-2341   fax: 985-549-2061 publicinfo@selu.edu     www.selu.edu/news Contact: Rene Abadie Date: 1/10/03   SOUTHEASTERN TO OPEN REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CENTER        HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University will open this spring a regionally-based economic and business center designed to facilitate economic development in southeast Louisiana and to serve as a model for other university and business partnerships around the state, Southeastern officials confirmed today.       Southeastern President Randy Moffett said the university has purchased a two-story, 17,000 square foot building on the perimeter of the university campus with a goal of facilitating economic development by assembling a regional “one-stop-shop” for economic development activities for the region.       “The development of this business center is in direct keeping with the university’s mission to lead the educational, economic and cultural development of the region,” Moffett said. “One of Southeastern’s most important initiatives is to serve as a catalyst for economic development. This center provides an ideal opportunity for the university to strengthen its partnerships with area economic development agencies.”       Moffett said the new center will provide a central location designed to facilitate a spirit of cooperation and a sharing of resources among various entities focused on improving the economic climate of the region.       “In addition, the center will serve as a conduit that links the university and all businesses and potential businesses, allowing them access to the varied resources of the university that can assist them in building or expanding their businesses,” Moffett said.       The building – located at 1514 Martens Drive approximately one block from the university’s north campus – is known as the former Zapata-Haynie Building. The class-A office building, which was built in 1985, includes more than 40 offices, two large common areas, and more than 70 parking spaces. The University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors approved purchase of the building at its December meeting, and official closing is expected in early spring.       Moffett said funds to purchase the building came from Southeastern’s sale of property located near the Hammond Airport to the city of Hammond for the U.S. Customs expansion project. A stipulation of the sale was that the money be used for economic development.       The new facility will allow Southeastern to expand its Small Business Development Center (SBDC), currently located in the College of Business and Technology, and to make it more accessible to the region’s business community, said William Joubert, Southeastern’s director of economic and business development, who also supervises the activities of the SBDC. The SBDC serves a five-parish region and has assisted more than 1,300 clients with counseling and assistance in building and expanding their businesses since 1996. The SBDC has assisted clients in obtaining nearly $100 million in government contracts and more than $20 million in new loans and capital.       Joubert said initial organizations participating in the center also include the Tangipahoa Economic Development Foundation, the Hammond Industrial Development Board, and the Florida Parishes Economic Development Association. In the near future, he said, the center will house a business incubator to assist new businesses in their early stages.       “In addition, we anticipate the Louisiana Department of Economic Development and the Louisiana Department of Labor as well as other federal and state agencies will join us in expanding the services being offered through the center,” Joubert added. “Those agencies see this center as an opportunity to construct a model of university, government and business collaboration that can be replicated in other parts of the state.”       Skip Smart, assistant secretary in the Office of Business Development of the Louisiana Department of Economic Development, said the state fully supports Southeastern’s commitment to regional economic development.       “The acquisition of the building for this purpose is consistent with the collaborations envisioned in Vision 2020, the state’s strategic plan for economic development,” Smart said. “The department is attempting to secure funds to assist Southeastern in establishing a pilot one-stop center for entrepreneurship to serve the Florida Parishes region. The center will complement other initiatives under development by Southeastern to support regional economic development. This innovative project could ultimately be duplicated in other regions of the state.”       Moffett said the new center also complements Southeastern’s ongoing efforts in the area of workforce training, noting the university has obtained more than $1 million in grants from the Louisiana Department of Labor in Incumbent Worker Training Grants that are helping area businesses improve the technical training of their workforce. Return to News Releases