The Louisiana Business & Industry Show

That anti-industry yard sign down the street didn't start in your parish. According to this week's guest, you can trace the money behind it all the way out of Louisiana.Desiree Lemoine spent 11 years at the Louisiana Chemical Association before helping launch Industry Makes, an organization built to give Louisiana's manufacturing workers and the small businesses that depend on them a voice at the local level.Hosts Gordy Rush and Tim Johnson sit down with her to trace how out-of-state money ends up funding local activists, why the gas station on your corner depends on the plant down the road, and the roughly $935,000 one parish spent just defending its right to bring in new investment.▶ SUBSCRIBE to the Louisiana Business and Industry Show for new conversations with the people shaping Louisiana's economy: https://www.youtube.com/@LouisianaBusinessandIndustrySh

Industry pays 70% of St. John the Baptist Parish's budget: the schools, the roads, the police force. So why are people from outside the parish spending real money to shut it down?Jaclyn Hotard, President of St. John the Baptist Parish, has spent 35+ years around Louisiana industry and has been dragged through both federal and local court for defending it. She isn't backing down.In this conversation, she breaks down how a St. John student can walk out of high school, do one year at River Parishes Community College, and earn $100,000 a year and why she says paid special interests fight to kill the very projects that make those jobs possible. Her line: responsible growth and responsible industry aren't a choice between two things. They're the same thing.► Subscribe for a new Louisiana business leader every week:https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@LouisianaBusinessandIndustrySh⁩ 

Ascension Parish, the most heavily industrialized parish in Louisiana, just ranked #1 healthiest in the entire state. So why has the Cancer Alley narrative dominated Louisiana for 40 years?David Cresson, President of the Louisiana Chemistry Association, sits down with Gordy Rush and Tim Johnson to set the record straight with data from the CDC, the National Cancer Institute, and the Robert Wood Johnson County Health Rankings. In this episode:→ Why does the data not support the Cancer Alley narrative→ What louisianahealthfacts.com actually shows→ Carbon capture, what it is, what it looks like, and why Louisiana is falling behind Texas→ Why David Cresson left 18 years at CCA to lead the Louisiana Chemistry Association→ How LCA is building local community relationships across every parish in the stateSubscribe so you never miss a Louisiana business conversation that actually matters.CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Introduction 1:30 - Who is David Cresson? 5:00 - Leading the Louisiana Chemistry Association 9:00 - The rebrand and new office 13:00 - Carbon capture explained 18:00 - Local community engagement strategy 22:00 - Cancer Alley — what the data actually says 27:00 - louisianahealthfacts.com breakdown

300,000 Louisiana families go to work every day because of the oil and gas industry. Tommy Faucheux is the man making sure that doesn't change. Tommy is the President of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association (LaMoga), the organization representing every major energy company operating in Louisiana, from Chevron and Shell to Valero, Phillips 66, and the LNG exporters powering Europe's energy supply. In this episode, Tommy breaks down why Louisiana's energy industry doesn't just matter to Louisiana; it matters to the entire country and the world. In this episode:Why 300,000 Louisiana jobs depend on the oil and gas industry survivingHow Louisiana LNG exports kept Europe from collapsing during the Russia-Ukraine warWhat CCUS really means for rural Louisiana communitiesThe outside groups are trying to shut down the Louisiana industry, and they've never even been hereWhat's happening right now at the Louisiana legislature that every business owner needs to knowListen every week on the Louisiana Business and Industry Show hosted by Gordy Rush and Tim Johnson.

For more than 30 years, Barry Erwin has been one of the most influential voices in Louisiana policy, and most people have never heard of him.As Chief Policy Officer for Leaders for a Better Louisiana (the merger of CABLE and the Committee of 100), Barry is at the center of the state's biggest challenges: workforce development, K-12 education, economic growth, and building a Louisiana that keeps its talent instead of losing it.In this episode, Gordy Rush and Tim Johnson sit down with Barry to talk about:The creation of the Louisiana Talent Accelerator and why it mattersLouisiana's K-12 miracle, 4th-grade reading gains are getting national attention The high-dosage tutoring program that other states are now copyingWhy Louisiana copied Mississippi on workforce, and why that was the right callThe data initiative that could change how Louisiana measures its own progressWhat it really takes to move policy in a state that's resistant to change                             

In this episode of the Louisiana Business & Industry Show, Gordy Rush and Tim Johnson sit down with Jill Kidder, President and CEO of Visit Baton Rouge, to discuss one of the most underrated economic engines in Louisiana: tourism, a $1.3 billion industry supporting over 42,000 jobs in East Baton Rouge Parish alone.Jill breaks down how Visit Baton Rouge attracts millions of visitors to the capital city, from major conventions and youth sports tournaments to the bowling congress that brought 150,000 people through Baton Rouge in a single season. She explains why tourism is the first step in the economic development cycle, how Baton Rouge quietly earned its first listings in the Michelin Guide, and why sports tourism is the fastest-growing opportunity for the region.The conversation also covers the exciting developments on the horizon, including the redevelopment of the River Center, the new Sports Illustrated hotel coming downtown, and a bold plan to turn Baton Rouge back toward the Mississippi River as its front porch. If you care about the future of business, growth, and quality of life in Louisiana, this conversation is one you do not want to miss.Subscribe, like, and comment to help us spread the word about the future of Louisiana business.

In this episode of the Louisiana Business & Industry Show, Gordy Rush and Tim Johnson sit down with Dr. Quentin Taylor, Chancellor of River Parishes Community College, to discuss one of the most important workforce stories in Louisiana right now, a community college at the epicenter of the state's industrial explosion.Dr. Taylor breaks down how RPCC has doubled enrollment and graduation rates since 2022, what the landmark Hyundai Steel RPCC Training Center in Donaldsonville means for workers up and down the Mississippi River corridor, and why 70% of Louisiana's jobs require an associate degree or less, not a four-year diploma. He also shares his deeply personal mission to break the cycle of generational poverty through workforce education and why the River Parishes may be the most important economic development story in the entire state.The conversation also covers RPCC's growing industry partnerships with Hyundai, CF Industries, and Ascension Clean Energy, how the college is positioning itself as Louisiana's premier workforce solution, and what business leaders and parents need to know about the opportunities right at their doorstep.If you care about the future of Louisiana's economy, workforce development, and the communities being transformed by industrial growth, this conversation is one you do not want to miss.Subscribe and turn on notifications for new episodes every week with the leaders shaping Louisiana's future.

In this episode of the Louisiana Business & Industry Show, Gordy Rush and Tim Johnson sit down with Verge Ausberry, Vice President and Athletic Director at LSU, to discuss one of the most powerful economic drivers in the state of Louisiana: LSU Athletics, a $250 million operation generating billions in regional economic impact.Verge breaks down the business of running a major college athletic department, from the high-stakes coaching searches that brought Lane Kiffin and Will Wade to Baton Rouge, to the rapidly changing landscape of NIL and revenue sharing. He explains how LSU is restructuring its athletic department to operate like a corporate front office, why building private partnerships and donor relationships is now essential to staying competitive, and how LSU stacks up against the biggest programs in the country. The conversation also covers the exciting capital projects on the horizon, including a new on-campus arena and what a loaded home football schedule means for LSU and the greater Baton Rouge region. If you care about the future of business, sports, and economic opportunity in Louisiana, this conversation is one you do not want to miss. Subscribe, like, and comment to help us spread the word about the future of Louisiana business.

In this episode of the Louisiana Business & Industry Show, Gordy Rush and Tim Johnson sit down with Tanner Johnson, Partner at Van Ness Feldman LLP, to discuss one of the most critical economic debates facing Louisiana today: carbon capture, pipelines, private property rights, and what it all means for the state's future. Tanner breaks down why Louisiana must innovate with carbon capture or risk losing billions in industrial investment to Texas and other competing states. He explains the real facts behind eminent domain and CO2 pipelines, how the carbon credit economy is paying landowners billions to plant trees and grasslands, and how Louisiana's energy strategy connects our fisheries, oil and gas industry, and world-class ports into a powerful economic engine. The conversation also covers the next steps Louisiana must take to protect its competitive edge and keep transformational investment in the state. If you care about the future of business, jobs, and opportunity in Louisiana, this conversation is one you do not want to miss. Subscribe, like, and comment to help us spread the word about the future of Louisiana business.

In this episode of the Louisiana Business & Industry Show, Gordy Rush and Tim Johnson talk with Kate McArthur, President and CEO of the Ascension Economic Development Corporation, about Ascension Parish’s rapid rise as Louisiana’s top destination for major investment. McArthur breaks down the massive Riverplex Mega Park and the nearly $20 billion in transformative projects it has attracted, including Hyundai Steel, CF Industries, and Ascension Clean Energy. The conversation explores workforce development, new training partnerships, infrastructure needs, and what’s next for jobs and growth in Ascension Parish—making this a must-listen for anyone focused on Louisiana’s economic future.Provide your feedback on BizChat

In this episode of the Louisiana Business & Industry Show, Gordy Rush and Tim Johnson sit down with Patrick Riley, Director of Governmental Affairs and Assistant General Counsel for the Louisiana Chemistry Association (LCA), to discuss the role of Louisiana's chemistry industry in shaping the state's economic future.Patrick shares LCA's mission as the unified voice of Louisiana's chemical and petrochemical manufacturers, and the progress being made through carbon capture, Class VI well permitting, and regulatory leadership. The conversation covers Louisiana's industrial growth, workforce development, energy policy, and what the chemical industry means for jobs and communities across the state.If you care about the future of business, jobs, and opportunity in Louisiana, this conversation is one you do not want to miss.Subscribe, like, and comment to help us spread the word about the future of Louisiana business.

LABI President & CEO Will Green outlines a nine‑point roadmap focused on strengthening Louisiana’s long‑term economic future. The plan emphasizes improving the state’s tax structure, growing and retaining a skilled workforce, supporting job creators, advancing infrastructure, and making Louisiana more competitive with neighboring states. Green stresses the need for pro‑growth policies, economic stability, and collaboration between business and government to create sustainable opportunities across Louisiana.