Prosperity NOLA is a data-driven plan created by the New Orleans Louisiana Business Alliance to be completed in 2018.

This plan will further Mayor Landrieus vision of a diverse, sustainable, and prosperous economy for all citizens. Prosperity NOLA provides action steps and aligns efforts to make New Orleans more competitive. Prosperity NOLA has taken place in three phases. In the first phase, they commissioned an initiative for Competitive Inner City to develop a body of date to serve as the baseline for the planning process. The second phase, which took place between October 2012 and May 2013, created a strategic advising council of 75 board members to outline a focus for the city. Phase three is the implementation of these plans. Prosperity NOLA determined five industry structures: Advanced Manufacturing, BioInnovation and Health Services, Creative Digital Media, Sustainable Industries, and Transportation, Trade, and Logistics. Advanced Manufacturing Advanced Manufacturing emphasizes the ability of New Orleans to attract advanced manufacturing, which consist mostly of aero & space technology and ship & boat manufacturing. It also includes chemical, mineral, and plastic manufacturing. These different categories come together to create over 2500 jobs through the use of high tech manufacturers, a talented workforce, and a world-class incentive package. The Michoud Assembly Facility, which is fully equipped with special equipment required for Advanced Manufacturing, is one of the largest production buildings in the nation, historic home of NASA space components in the region. They also have the Stennis Space Center, Huntington-Ingalls, Avondale Shipyard, Bollingers ship building and repair facilities, and Textrons two manufacturing operations. Fred Hardin, who is the Senior Engineer at Jacobs Technology, said about the Advanced Manufacturing cluster, I think its important for both the city on New Orleans and Jacobs to grow the advanced manufacturing sector here. Im hoping that the impact that it has on this industry is bringing in more high-tech jobs to Michoud and [the] New Orleans area. New Orleans is not only unique due to intra-modal transportation, but also prevents significant opportunity and room to grow. New Orleans has the advantage of perfect location, unparalleled infrastructure, lucrative incentives, and a talented workforce. The National Center for Advanced Manufacturing ensures a resident population of qualified professions. The New Orleans Business Association (NOLABA) is assisting Advanced Manufacturing in three ways: 1. They offer existing companies access to the DeltaPlus program, which provides resources and solutions. 2. They serve as the liaison between companies in this sector and the city of New Orleans. 3. They connect companies to workforce support through LED FastStart, the JOB I program and their partners at Delgado Community College. These various growth opportunities are focused towards growth of current companies, attraction of new companies to the market, and new employment opportunities for New Orleans residents.

BioInnovation and Health Services BioInnovation and Health Services covers all of NOLAs activities that are necessary to create a successful biotechnology hub and destination health center. This includes all the doctors offices, hospitals, and research & development in pharmaceuticals. This cluster encompasses about 14,000 jobs, but the number is expected to expand by 20,000 over the next few decades. BioInnovation and Health Services is aimed towards providing sufficient health care options and increased resources for innovation and research. The BioInnovation Center helps to grow startup companies from University research and help these universities base the commercialization of their technologies in New Orleans, which, in turn, creates more jobs in the city, which already has great life science research initiatives. Many different assets are being brought out to help growth within the industry. The New Orleans Bio District is a healthcare and research hub that is currently in construction in the downtown area. It will encompass 3.6 million square feet of new hospitals, 750000 square feet of research and development facilities, which will bring in 24.6 billion dollars in economic input over twenty years. This is being done to ensure that New Orleans remains on the cutting edge in medical innovation and a leader in quality health services. According to Dr. Karen DeSalvo, who is the commissioner of health for the city of New Orleans: We are building over two billions dollars of new healthcare infrastructure, not just in downtown in the biosciences area, but also in New Orleans East and this is [going to] create world class facilities where everyone can work and do research. This is a critical industry for economic growth over the next five years. Not only will the new infrastructures include traditional health service delivery, but also health manufacturing, wholesale supply, research and development, devices, and pharmaceuticals. The average annual wage in BioInnovations is $78,700, which the wage in Health Services is $45,400. Many of these positions do not require a college education, opening up these jobs to a whole new wave of citizens. Because of this program, Louisiana now ranks 28th in National Institutes of Health Funding. There are four main projects of focus that this cluster relies on: 1. Work with higher education opportunities, city of NOLA and the advanced workforce development partners to build stronger avenues for local talent 2. Expand the efforts to create a demand-driven workforce 3. Coordinate a capital development strategy with the Creative and Digital Media Industry 4. Develop new sources of funding for attracting and retaining top research and management talent Creative Digital Media The Creative Digital Media cluster encourages new businesses in the media industry, which includes film, TV, and radio production; software and video game design, graphic design, and music reporting in production. This cluster consists of about 2500 jobs in the Digital Media industry. One of these companies, Turbosquid, has provided many careers in New Orleans. VSO2020 came to New Orleans to work with the many talented and eager individuals in New Orleans. Basic questions were asked to these employees, and because of their diverse backgrounds, the different perspectives add insight to the company. New Orleans is known as the

Silicon Bayou, and, an interviewer of Silicon Bayou News, described it like this: As long as we continue to attract and retain talented tech businesses, the city will be able to truly flourish as the Silicon Bayou. Denis Petrov, owner of IDScan, which provides the technology for scanning ID cards, explained how the new technology and concentration in this area allows his company to thrive. Their office is located near the IP building, which allows them to take advantage of the many seminars offered. The cluster of marketing companies allows them to outsource locally. New Orleans is nicknamed Hollywood of the South due to the growing film industry, which produced sixty-one major productions in 2012. This growth is thanks to tax credits and incentives. The industry grows along with the skilled workforce within it. According to Matt Wisdom, the owner of Turbosquid, Were ascending. Were in a new place and life will be better here for my kids than it was for me. Thats exciting. Success, as this cluster defines it, will be when New Orleans is known as a Creative Digital Media hub. Sustainable Industries Sustainable Industries, created by Greater New Orleans, Inc., consists of companies that strive to solve environmental issues in construction, energy, waste disposal, and water and natural resource management. This has created around 1700 jobs thus far. SI boasts institutionalized knowledge and hopes to encourage kids to look into jobs that take place along the coast. It was created mainly to help companies manage and profit from environmental issues and challenges such as resource scarcity, rising industry costs, increasing regulatory oversight, environmental risk, and shifting consumer preferences. These issues create the opportunity to develop solutions for these often-talked-about issues. Sustainable Industries plans to create new jobs, increase revenue, and improve the sustainability of the region by creating a cluster of businesses, encouraging local colleges and universities in research, creating a platform for commercialization of innovation and entrepreneurship around sustainable technologies, supporting economically and ecologically healthy communities, and enhancing the regional brand to attract businesses. SAIL Capital Partners recently launched a new capital fund, Louisiana Sustainability Funds (LSF) to invest in clean technologies within Louisiana to invest in large state growth companies with proven technologies that are making significant contributions. The key regional assets of this are: Infrastructure: major port, rail, and interstate systems Manufacturing Assets & Expertise: New Orleans has facilities and a knowledgeable workforce Access to capital: capital entities like LSF prepared to invest in high-growth sustainable businesses. Incentives: federal, state, and local incentives are available to sustain industries.

There are very many incentives available to entice businesses to work with Sustainable Industries. Just to name a few, there is the Gulf Opportunity Zone, which offers a competitive advantage for relocation and expansion in the gulf region; the Industrial Tax Exemption Program, which cuts back taxes for a 10-year period; Louisiana FastStart, which provides customized recruitment, screening, and training to new and expanding companies at no cost;

Modernization Tax Credit, which provides a 5% refundable state tax credit for manufacturers modernizing or upgrading; the Technology Commercialization Credit and Jobs Program, which provides 40% refundable tax credit for companies that invest in the commercialization of Louisiana technology and 6% payroll rebate for the creation of new jobs; and a Research and development tax credit, which provides up to a 40% refundable tax credit for costs related to research and development. Many companies have already taken advantage of this. Blade Dynamics recently moved their company from the United Kingdom to New Orleans to manufacture innovative wind turbine blades. In Norco, LA, Diamond Green Diesel is currently developing a renewable diesel facility. Free Flow Power harnesses the power of the Mississippi River to convert hydrokinetic power to electricity. Dynamic Fuels, out of Geisman, LA, converts non-food-grade animal fats leftover from Tyson into ultra-clean fuels. Success in this field will be determined when New Orleans is recognized for its expertise in these areas. Transportation, Trade, and Logistics This cluster highlights New Orleanss existing infrastructure, which includes railroads, port and harbor operations, ground and air freight, warehousing and storage, wholesalers and airports. New Orleans is home to the most integrated waterway, railroad, and highway infrastructure systems in the nation. These ways of transportation promote opportunities for improvement in order to encourage growth. This cluster houses approximately 8000 jobs and is helping turn New Orleans into a key hub for logistics and trade. The railroad has grown to a 24/7 Operation over the last 15 years. In addition to the rail, the Mississippi River is also included in in Transportation, Trade, and Logistics. New Orleans was actually established in 1718 because of its close proximity to the river. This port was used for mercantile activity and its reputation as a major international shipping port is still valuable to this day. Transportation, Trade, and Logistics is focused on international trade, which is in itself a great opportunity for economic growth that has the potential to build New Orleans into even more of a global city. Leaders in this industry will focus on how to capture the supply chain of industries in New Orleans, additional export opportunities, and on value-added manufacturing. According to NOLABAs website, Moving goods for the nation every day, the Logistics sector in New Orleans is strong and growing. Success with be considered achieved when resources are leveraged to their full capacity. NOLABA is working on three activities to support this: 1. Partnering with international trade stake-holders in New Orleans such as the board of trade, World Trade Center, and the Port of New Orleans 2. Offer existing companies access to their DeltaPlus program, which can target needs and provide resources and solutions 3. Serve as a link between companies in this cluster and the city to encourage quicker and better solutions to common problems

Resources

"Advanced Manufacturing." New Orleans Business Alliance. The New Orleans Business Alliance, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. <http://nolaba.org/industries/advancedmanufacturing/>. "Advanced Manufacturing." YouTube. NOLABA, 13 June 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phWjOwAPzho>. "BioInnovation and Health Services: Keeping New Orleans on the Cutting Edge." New Orleans Business Alliance. The New Orleans Business Alliance, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://nolaba.org/bioinnovation-and-health-services-keeping-new-orleans-on-thecutting-edge/>. "BioInnovation and Health Services." Youtube. NOLABA, 13 June 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9oz0fGe_I8>. "Creative Digital Management." Youtube. NOLABA, 11 June 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvVERQhtTJU>. Pavlov, Denis. "ProsperityNOLA Cluster Series: IDScan.net." Interview by Allison Schmitt. Silicon Bayou News. Silicon Bayou Media, LLC, 1 Aug. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://siliconbayounews.com/2013/08/01/prosperitynola-cluster-series-idscan-net/>. "ProsperityNOLA." New Orleans Business Alliance. NOLABA, n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://nolaba.org/prosperitynola/>. "Sustainable Industries." Greater New Orleans Inc. Mobile. GNO, Inc., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. <http://m.gnoinc.org/sustainable-industries.php>. Sustainable Industries. YouTube. NOLABA, 11 June 2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yqhrlX6quc&feature=youtu.be>. "Trade & Logistics." New Orleans Business Alliance. The New Orleans Business Alliance, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://nolaba.org/industries/logistics/>. "Transportation Trade and Logistics." YouTube. NOLABA, 11 June 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBp7rBSe4-o>.