NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Along the Mississippi River on the western edge of Jefferson Parish, giant yellow cranes signal a commercial revival in a place that was once a major driver of Louisiana’s economy.
The former Avondale Shipyard, which helped thousands of blue-collar workers earn big wages, is now back in business for the grand opening of the Avondale Global Gateway.
Adam Anderson is chairman and CEO of T Parker Hospitality, which bought the shuttered shipyard.
“In October 2018, we took title to this idle shipyard, overgrown with weeds, dilapidated buildings and abandoned work sites,” Anderson said. “It was our vision to turn this shipyard into a multi-modal logistics center and it still is, not only to handle cargo using ships, railcars, boats, the unique combination of land, river, road and rail, but also to add value to that cargo. Here.”
As a ship, the Avondale not only created thousands of jobs, but also worked for the US Department of Defense.
Jerry Bologna is CEO of JEDCO, an economic development organization.
“This website is known to be created in this middle-income region, employing thousands of people at a time. “Some of America’s military’s finest ships and vessels were built here,” he said.
In terms of renovating the sprawling property after the ship, construction is under way, including high river levels, the Covid-19 pandemic and hurricanes.
Still, the T. Parker host has invested $100 million in redeveloping the site.
“When we moved here in 2018, there were four jobs on site. Now we have 300 full-time jobs here and 500 people spend part of their workday here every day,” he said.
Governor John Bel Edwards said Louisiana has strategic advantages, including the Mississippi River, and is seizing new opportunities.
“The iron is hot and I’m very excited about the work we’re doing not only here at Avondale Marine, but at ports all over Louisiana,” Edwards said.
Avondale Global Gateway has room for additional tenants.
They want deep water, they want the rail, they want all the infrastructure here in Avondale, but our goal is to have tenants that add value to the corridor, which means repacking, processing, building, assembling things here. “We’re going to source raw materials and then deliver them to the rest of the United States by road and rail and river systems,” Anderson said.
Edwards added, “This type of investment puts us on a strong footing for maximum return.
Some former Avondale Shipyards employees are now working for the new company, and some highly skilled workers can earn up to $100,000 a year.
The state, Jefferson Parish and others were instrumental in making the shipyard’s transformation a reality.
“The JDCO Board of Commissioners and the Jefferson Parish Council supported a competitive incentive package to help facilitate Avondale Marine’s purchase of this property, which was no easy feat,” Bologna said. “If you were around then, you know this required the involvement of the governor’s office, the ports, the railroads, the Navy Department, the Corps of Engineers.”
With the addition of new tenants, Avondale Global Gateway is expected to eventually create 2,300 direct jobs.
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