Welcome

Jay Hardman, P.E.

The port welcomes all inquiries about available property and possible economic incentives for companies interested in locating at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge. 

As the Port celebrates its 60^th Anniversary in 2012, we take time to appreciate the leadership and efforts of our past, and look forward to the future with promise. With over $150 million in private investment scheduled for completion in 2012, from companies located at the port, we are well on our way towards improving and sustaining port facilities in the Greater Baton Rouge region for many years to come.

As an overview of activities either planned or underway for 2012 at the port, companies located at our facilities indicate positive projections for this year in terms of shipping, planned expansion, new projects, additional capital investment and job creation.  Several companies operating at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge, as well as several plants in the petrochemical coordior along the port's 85-miles of the Mississippi River, have expanded or added new facilities in anticipation of future growth.  This is very good news for the capital region and certainly reason to be optimistic about the economic viability and potential for this area of Louisiana.

In 2011 we welcomed Louis Dreyfus Commodities as the new operator of the port’s public grain elevator, and during the first quarter of 2012 construction began on an extensive rehabilitation and expansion project of the facility. This project will create 100 construction jobs and up to 30 new permanent jobs. When completed, more than 5 million metric tons of grain could move through the upgraded facilities annually. A recent report regarding the increase in goods exported from Louisiana stated that total agriculture goods shipped from our state were valued at about $1 billion. We are anticipating that these upgraded grain facilities will play an important role in the success Louisiana farmers are experiencing in moving their products to markets around the world.

Westway Terminals, which only recently completed a significant expansion at the port, has received approval from the Port Commission for expansion to add 6 acres to its existing facility. This could potentially increase Westway’s capacity to store bulk liquid products at the port by 50 percent.  

At the port’s Inland Rivers Marine Terminal on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, a new roadway and dock structure with an estimated value of $3 million are currently in the design phase and construction is scheduled to commence in July, 2012. The new roadway will access the 24 acres of property that was purchased by the port last year to expand the facility’s ability to accommodate future development.  Katoen Natie, an international company operating at the port’s main deepwater complex, expanded it bulk packing and warehousing operations to add a second packaging line. KTN invested over $1 million dollars in new equipment for this expansion and added several new jobs at the port.  

Also at the terminal, in March 2012, the port welcomed and approved a lease with GNS Frac Sand of Alabama, LLC.  This company will add $10 million in private investment and expects to open in the latter part of 2012 creating more additional jobs and additional cargo at the Inland Rivers Marine Terminal. 

The outlook for 2012 in the areas of international trade, maritime commerce, new manufacturing and new industrial expansion is positive as companies and manufacturers continue to have strong interest in the port and value the tremendous transportation asset of the Mississippi River.  At the port, we are continuing our efforts to increase the value of the Port of Greater Baton Rouge as an economic asset to the entire region. 

Jay Hardman, P.E.
Executive Director