Who should I contact if I would like more information?
Each parish has a representative listed here that is more than willing to assist you. There is no singular individual or parish responsible for all of the information provided on this website. If you do not know what parish is a perfect fit for you, the I-12 Alliance is a cooperative group that works with you among themselves to determine the most suitable situation for any kind of enterprise - large or small.

What is a parish?
To put it shortly, a parish is another term used for county. While Louisiana is the only state in the United States that uses the term parish, it is still often used in many countries, including England.

What is the I-12 Alliance?
Established in 2007, the I-12 Alliance is the group of five parishes that share economic strengths and assets that, collectively, better reflect the region. The five parishes represented are located where some would call "the toe of Louisiana's boot" bordering Lake Pontchartrain to the south and Mississippi to the north and east.

What is the Technology Corridor?
The stretch of Interstate 10 that starts in St Tammany Parish and ends in Washington Parish as it enters Mississippi is a unique asset to the State of Louisiana. At both ends there are large NASA facilities. NASA's Michoud Assembly facility is where actual spacecraft manufacturing occurs and it is also where the National Center of Advanced Manufacturing is located. Stennis Space Center is its own federal city harboring propulsion testing sites, military research and development facilities, companies the qualify under the U.S. Space Act, and much more. At epicenter, in the city of Slidell, the Research & Technology park and the adjoining retail campuses promise to make even more innovations real with support of the University of New Orleans and other tenants that need the advantages of close proximity to superior infrastructure, scientists, logistics, and advanced degreed talent.

The I-12 Alliance has decided that the Technology Corridor would best be promoted as if it was a parish in order to highlight its uniqueness and the tremendous opportunity it offers to business interests.

How is Southeastern Louisiana University involved with the I-12 Alliance?
SLU provides incredible asset to the region in many ways. Located in Hammond, the institution harbors over 20,000 students and provides many community services, including that of a very successful small business incubator. During the I-12 Alliance's inception, SLU volunteered server space and administrative assistance for the website which further illustrates their generosity and commitment to community. To learn more about Southeastern Louisiana University, go to their website at www.selu.edu.

Where do you get your data for the charts?
Because of the devastation caused by the hurricanes of 2005, U.S. Census data is inaccurate. Therefore, the I-12 Alliance, with a Tier 2 grant from the State of Louisiana, embarked upon third-party research to determine more realistic population and data figures. AngelouEconomics, an Austin-based economic development consulting firm, compiled data from two published annual data generators and published the average score of those data points for as accurate of findings as possible. To note, the two sources did not vary significantly (within 2%).

When this website was published in 2007, that data was used. However, to keep the statistical information on the website as accurate as possible, the I-12 Alliance reviews the information and updates appropriately. Parishes within the I-12 Alliance rely primarily upon figures provided by the state and local utilities.

What is Operation: A Better Louisiana?
The newsletter was created to provide a conduit of information promoting the "good news in Louisiana." Since the hurricanes in 2005, the State of Louisiana has had the attention of national media and especially for sensationalized accounts of governmental failures. The newsletter was created because not all of Louisiana was permanently impacted by the disasters. This is especially important to note, since there has been tremendous growth and innovation in the I-12 Alliance region that has not been documented by the national media.

This is not only an important cause to Louisiana, but to the world at large being subjected to inaccurate storytelling by the national media. We ask you to support this charge by simply signing up for and receiving the newsletter.

Who created this website?
This website is brainchild of the I-12 Alliance implemented by AngelouEconomics and their website development partner, Design Soup. Both firms are located in the greater Austin, Texas area.