Patrick Beard, director of the Saint Charles Parish Department of Economic Development & Tourism, presented an overview of the department's priorities and outreach plans at the Dec. 1 council meeting.

Beard said the parish is carrying about $15,000,000,000 in announced projects across various stages of development and that the parish expects those commitments to generate more than 500 jobs as projects progress. He highlighted three core functions—business retention, expansion and attraction—and argued that workforce partnerships and entrepreneurial support must accompany large capital investments so residents can fill new positions.

Beard proposed a new business engagement specialist, described as a concierge to guide firms through permitting, public-works coordination and connections with utilities and regional partners. He said the parish will present the position to the civil service commission and hopes to use it to "track a permit through the process, pinging departments" when applications lag.

On financing and direct support, Beard pointed to existing regional programs and loan options, including a South Central Planning and Development resource he described as offering up to $500,000 at about 4% interest for qualifying businesses. He announced a meet-and-greet for business owners and prospective business owners from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. on Dec. 9 at River Parishes Community College to introduce the economic team and available resources.

Council members asked about proactive outreach to small businesses that close quickly after opening. Beard said the parish plans to survey businesses, form relationships and use the new concierge role and the public information office to communicate available supports. Council members and the parish president described the approach as a long-term relationship-building effort rather than a short-term financial subsidy.

Beard also reviewed economic indicators he used in the presentation, including parish GDP comparisons and a low unemployment rate (about 3.7% for 2024) and cited taxable sales of about $2,400,000,000 for 2024 as evidence of strong commercial activity. He said workforce development and training will be essential if larger industrial employers make new hires beyond the parish's currently unemployed pool.

The presentation closed with council members thanking Beard and asking for a tourism component in next year's report; Beard agreed to include it.