DXC New Orleans deal rated nation’s No. 2 economic development announcement in 2017, magazine says
DXC Technology’s 2,000-job center in New Orleans earned state and local economic development officials the No. 2 ranking in the country for economic development deals of the year by Business Facilities magazine.
The DXC deal, announced in November, was beaten out by Foxconn’s announced $10.7 billion LCD production facility in Wisconsin, a controversial project that involves at least $3 billion in subsidies from the state. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. took the gold award from Business Facilities’ annual ranking for that deal. An ethane cracker from Gulf Coast Growth Ventures in Corpus Christi won the bronze award.
Greater New Orleans Inc. and Louisiana Economic Development were given the silver award for DXC’s Digital Transformation Center in New Orleans’ Central Business District. The firm recently signed a lease for its new offices and began hiring. The company’s move here is the latest win for a small but growing tech industry in Louisiana.
Business Facilities previously gave IBM’s Client Innovation Center project in Baton Rouge honorable mention in 2013. IBM last year announced it fell well short of its job targets, though state and local officials extended the deal for two years.
Sasol’s $11 billion gas-to-liquids plant in Lake Charles also earned the magazine’s silver award in 2012, but that project was recently scrapped by the company.
The DXC deal was the largest permanent jobs announcement at one site in Louisiana’s history, LED says in a news release about the ranking. By 2025, the company has promised to hire 2,000 people.
“Louisiana is a prime destination for companies investing in growing fields like software development, cybersecurity and IT services,” Gov. John Bel Edwards says in a statement.
The Business Facilities awards are presented to projects that create “a significant number of quality jobs,” increase the tax base and stimulate local economies. An LSU study pegged DXC’s economic output at $3.2 billion through 2025.
“High-tech hubs are blossoming across the state, from cybersecurity in Bossier City to IT services and digital media in New Orleans,” Business Facilities Editor in Chief Jack Rogers says in a statement.
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