Economic Development

Worked with regional partners to begin the first-ever Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance: Grow NELA

Sanitation workers given full-time employee status

MyGov Online launched: A user-friendly platform streamlining permits, planning, and inspections for citizens and businesses.

Downtown Strategic Plan Completed

Americans for the Arts: Arts & Economic Prosperity Impact Study

  • 978 jobs supported in our region
  • Over $8 Million in generated revenue
  • $23.4 Million in personal income
  • $8.3 Million in Tax Revenue for local, state, and federal government
  • $52.2 Million in event-related expenditures

Monroe & Ouachita Music Strategy Initiative

City of Monroe named Business Ready Community by LED

Amtrak Passenger Rail Announcement

Announcement of AT&T Fiber access to every existing structure within city limits

Welcomed the return of the Monroe Moccasins Hockey team to Monroe, LA

Creation of Grow NELA: A regional economic development alliance launched to drive job creation, industry growth, and strategic investment across 10 parishes.

Meta Impact on Northeast Louisiana

  • Estimated 545 full-time jobs & 5,000 construction jobs
  • 740 new households in Ouachita and Richland Parishes
  • $240 million in local construction wages
  • Estimated $61.9 million in new income tax over 25 years
  • Estimated $163 million in sales tax and revenue in the first 5 years
  • 1,342 permits pulled from July ’24 to Jul ‘25
  • Collecting almost $400,000 in fees
  • 177 new businesses opened in the city of Monroe in the last year

Grow NELA has responded to 71 new leads since its inception