Mike Smith and Alena Maschke are reporters for The Advocate newspaper who were assigned to report on the recovery of the region from the natural disasters. Both moved to the SWLA and immersed themselves in all aspects of the recovery process. Join us as we discuss how they came into the position and their experiences in the community. We also examine how SWLA compares to other regions and what really stood out to them about the SWLA economy. Finally, they are asked how their time in SWLA will affect their future assignments.

For more information and to read their stories, please visit their web pages and follow their social media.

Mike Smith:

https://www.theadvocate.com/users/profile/mike%20smith/

https://twitter.com/mikejsmith504

Alena Maschke:

https://www.theadvocate.com/users/profile/alena%20maschke/

https://twitter.com/AlenaMaschke

https://www.alenamaschke.com/

This week’s guest, Alberto Galan, is the Assistant to the Parish Administrator of Calcasieu Parish and has been heading up all facets of the Long-Term Recovery Plan for the area. Join us as we discuss the process of heading up this effort as well as the funding coming in and how it’s allocated. We also discuss how people and businesses can apply for funding and how this long-term plan is actually being implemented. Finally, we discuss the next steps in the recovery process and how he thinks these recovery efforts will affect the region’s economy in the future.

For more information on CPPJ recovery, please visit https://www.restore.la.gov/ and https://www.calcasieu.gov/residents/long-term-hurricane-recovery-framework.

Jim Rock is the Executive Director of the Lake Area Industry Alliance (LAIA). Prior to heading that organization, he worked for companies such as PPG, Axiall, and Lotte. Join us as we discuss topics such as the LAIA itself, the SWLA “industrial base”, how the Lake Charles economy has changed, how COVID has affected the industries he represents. Finally, we discuss how he thinks the industrial sector of the economy will change heading into the future and environmental concerns.

Welcome to the Southwest Louisiana Economic Intel podcast. This brief monthly show covering the Southwest Louisiana economy is presented by the McNeese Drew Center for Business and Economic Analysis in partnership with the SWLA Economic Development Alliance. We hope you will spare around 15 minutes each month to join us as we discuss our region’s continued economic progress.