With Vermilion Parish not immune to the effects of the downturn in the oil and gas industry, economic development will be paramount to the area’s future. Members of FUEL Vermilion gathered Friday at the Abbeville Library to receive some insight on the subject. Anne Falgout, the executive director of the Vermilion Economic Development Alliance, along […]
The Vermilion Parish Job Fair will host a job fair on March 30 at Abbeville High School. Job seekers should bring resumes and dress for success. There will be a job seekers training workshop on March 15 to help everyone prepare. Details on the workshop can be found here. The event will be held from […]
Looking back on 2015, I would define the Vermilion Economic Development Alliance as a “work in progress.” Our organization, and the work that we do, is ever-changing to meet the needs of the community. In the past year we’ve learned about key issues, ongoing problems, probable solutions, and met hundreds of concerned and impassioned people. […]
This has been one of the most exciting and challenging years of my life. Being a part of a fledgling organization that means so much to so many is both overwhelming and rewarding. It’s difficult for one person to set all the things in motion required for success. In fact, that sort of isolationism can […]
There is a resurgence in companies re-opening their United States operations. Whether it’s the weakening of other economies, or availability of opportunity locally, decision makers are increasingly re-shoring – or bringing operations and jobs back to where they originally started. This is great for the nation, state of Louisiana, and ultimately us. Because of this […]
When the goal is successful developing the economy in an area, it’s best when the people vested in that success see the area. One Acadiana, an economic development organization that serves the nine-parish region of Acadiana, allowed an opportunity for a close-up view of Iberia, St. Mary and Vermilion Parishes during its 2015 Building the […]
The old adage “If you’re not growing, you’re dying” is used so much in so many contexts that people often argue who said it. Regardless of who coined the phrase, they’re correct. In business, keeping things the same, or simply not fixing what isn’t broke is no way to succeed. Sure, businesses that value tradition […]
The Abbeville Harbor and Terminal recently received great news from the state. The harbor and terminal is getting a $1.1 million Capital Outlay Grant to help finish bulk heading along the Port of Vermilion. The cost to bulk head the remaining lots is just over $2 million. The harbor and terminal will pay just over […]
The old Schwegmann building in Abbeville has remained empty for many years, much to the frustration of some officials. Councilman-at-Large Francis Plaisance has voiced his concerns over the vacant building for several years. “This has been years that I have asked that something be done,” Plaisance said. “We have received complaints again about the driveway […]
Stacy Mitchell, a senior researcher with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, believes there’s a growing sense that the big corporate economy no longer works. “There is this larger, cultural shift … to buy local,” she said. And Ms. Mitchell is correct. More often than not, if a community has an active chamber of commerce or […]