Participate in the LDWF’s Get Out and Fish! Derby
November 11, 2020
LSP Silver Alert: Assistance Needed in Locating Missing Eros Man
November 12, 2020
On Wednesday, Nov. 11, local officials and Performance Foodservice -Caro, which distributes food and food-related products to businesses across south Louisiana, held a press conference to announce the company’s expansion of its Bayou Blue facility, which will create 15-20 additional full-time jobs.
“This is a great day for Lafourche Parish,” Lafourche Parish President Archie Chaisson said. “Performance Foodservice has been an anchor in the Bayou Blue community, and we are excited they chose to stay and expand here.”
Located at 2324 Bayou Blue Road, the facility’s $25 million expansion will include the addition of a new energy-efficient freezer and additional dry and refrigerated storage space, and the company also plans to expand its dry dock space and install 18 additional dock doors. The project will increase the square footage of the facility by almost 60 percent.
“We have been working on this expansion for several years, and it’s exciting to see it about to begin,” said Ralph Boudreau, President of Performance Foodservice – Caro, which has been in Lafourche for over 55 years. “Lafourche Parish has been a great community to operate a business, and their focus on economic development shows their Commitment to a long-term growth for us and the parish.”
Councilman James Wendell, who represents a portion of Bayou Blue, called Performance Foodservice a staple of the community — creating jobs, contributing to the quality of life and “last but not least, simply being a good neighbor.”
Construction for the Performance Foodservice – Caro expansion is set to begin in 2020 and is expected to be finished in 2022.
“Seeing this expansion happen is proof that Lafourche is a business-friendly parish and confirms our commitment to make economic development and business retention a priority for this administration,” said Chaisson, who shared the development is personal for him as he worked for Performance Foodservice while in college. “I would Iike to thank Performance Foodservice for your continued presence in and commitment to Lafourche Parish.”
In a year that has seen negative economic effects from the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple Gulf storms, officials believe the expansion’s announcement and efforts being made by the Lafourche Parish Government to make the area more inviting for businesses will persuade more companies to either stay or come to Lafourche.
“I think it’s things like this that provide the incentive and the economic stability that we need here in the region,” said District 52 State Representative Jerome Zeringue, who also touched on the need to diversify and expand the local economy. “ …Obviously, oil and gas will continue to be important in this region, but it’s things like this that will help sustain us and continue to grow and help our economy.”
To make the expansion in Lafourche possible, Chaisson said, Lafourche recreated the Industrial Development Board, which is drafting a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PlLOT) lease agreement for Performance Foodservice.
“Now that we’ve created the Industrial Development Board, it’s opened a world of possibilities for us. And since the council approved the creation of that board about three or four weeks ago, we’ve already had several companies reach back out to us that have left and are looking to come back here,” Chaisson said after the press conference.
“…Because they either work around Fourchon or they work with another service company in Lafourche Parish, they want to come back here for economic reasons,” he continued. “So I think this is going to be the first of many.”
