AVONDALE — From Jerry Bologna, president and CEO of the Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission: Each year, we take an opportunity to look back at JEDCO’s impact on the Jefferson Parish economy. We typically release the previous year’s Annual Report about halfway through our current year, which gives us the ability to celebrate the dynamic efforts, wins, and successes of the JEDCO team while also highlighting how last year’s work drives this year’s continued triumphs. I take great pride in sharing the 2022 Annual Report with all of you.
2022 was a milestone year for us as we celebrated JEDCO’s 35th year in operation. Since 1987, JEDCO has played a pivotal role in business attraction, retention, expansion, innovation, job creation, and workforce development. Within the pages of this report, you will see an overview of our wins and initiatives from 2022, but you’ll also have an opportunity to view several pages that document our footprint over the last 35 years. It is humbling to see the true long-term impact that this organization has had on Jefferson Parish.
In 2022, we achieved reaccreditation through the International Economic Development Council, a prestigious designation shared by less than 75 economic development organizations across North America. With this reaccreditation, JEDCO is now the longest-continuously accredited economic development organization (AEDO) in Louisiana and the second longest-running AEDO in the Gulf South.
In 2022, JEDCO welcomed new businesses and industries into the community, launched new campaigns and initiatives, and placed an increased focus on supporting and sustaining under-served industries. We expanded our team to accommodate our growing role within the community. We won numerous local, national, and international awards for excellence in innovation, lending, and marketing. We continued our partnerships with Gretna and Kenner through Cooperative Endeavor Agreements, which will allow JEDCO to allocate resources that directly support the cities’ economic development efforts. We continued to host new seasons of the Jefferson Parish Pulse podcast and built upon our educational seminar series, Prosper Jefferson. JEDCO never stops moving forward to shape the future of the economy.
Our work would not be possible without the support and collaboration of the elected officials, investors, stakeholders, Commissioners, and business organizations that help to propel our many initiatives forward. The cooperation in Jefferson Parish and around the region makes us what we are: a resilient, competitive, dynamic, innovative destination for business.
We are so grateful to all of you – our partners – for helping us achieve this vision of success in our community. Thank you for your support.
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