Keep America Working: U.S. Secretary of Commerce Don Evans Announces Grant for Shreve Park Industrial Campus

Washington, DC - U.S. Commerce Secretary Don Evans today announced a $1 million grant for the Shreve Park Industrial Campus, in Shreveport, La., as part of President Bush's commitment to keep America working.

Speaking to the Louisiana Metropolitan Chambers of Commerce in Washington, D.C., Secretary Evans said, "This grant is a wise investment in the future of the people and economy of Louisiana. It directly creates jobs for working men and women, and it is expected to draw in $40 million in new ventures from the private sector. New ventures mean additional jobs and opportunities."

The $1 million investment grant from the Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration will fund construction of a roadway system from the campus to the Bert Kouns Industrial Loop to provide easier access for industry.

The 500-acre Shreve Park Industrial Campus is being developed as a green space campus environment using the existing forest and bayou and creeks to separate industrial sites from one another. Due to funding constraints the park is being developed in phases as demand and funding availability indicate.

In February 1999, as part of the first phase of development, EDA awarded the City of Shreveport a $1 million grant, or 20 percent of total project costs, to construct phase infrastructure. The project opened 276 acres of the park. Frymaster, the world's largest manufacturer of commercial fryers for the food service industry, expanded its Shreveport operations into the Shreve Park Industrial Campus plant, where it manufacturers nonfryer products. Louisiana Tech University constructed a Micromanufacturing Conference and Technology Transfer Center at the Shreve Park Campus, linking university researchers and industry.

In early 2001, the General Motors plant in Shreveport invested in a new plant featuring automation technology and required that suppliers deliver parts right to the assembly line on a daily basis to meet "just-in-time" delivery needs. The concept requires parts suppliers to locate nearby and Shreve Park is being prepped to accept what the Greater Shreveport Chamber hopes will be up to 20 suppliers.

EDA serves as a unique venture capital resource to assist American communities facing economic distress and hardships. For more information EDA investment programs, visit www.doc.gov/eda.