Louisiana featured in American Airlines magazine in September

American Airlines passengers can get a closer look at Louisiana on flights in September.

The airline’s in-flight magazine, American Way, includes a 48-page special section on the state that chronicles its past, present and future, global impact, a city guide, a feature on universities partnerships that are building the state’s workforce and how communities are building for the future.

The magazine reaches more than 16 million monthly passengers, according to a news release from Louisiana Economic Development.

State, education and business leaders featured in the September pages include Gov. John Bel Edwards, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, LSU president F. King Alexander, CenturyLink president and CEO Jeff Storey, Entergy chairman and CEO Leo Denault, Tulane University president Michael Fitts and Ochsner Health System president and CEO Warner Thomas.

Some of the stories highlight GE Digital’s decision to move into Louisiana, and the Baton Rouge-based Water Campus with its three components: the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, The Water Institute of the Gulf and the LSU Center for River Studies.

In a story on the state’s global impact, GE Digital’s Kevin Dawson explains why his company chose Louisiana and helped build one of the fastest-growing technology regions in the U.S.

“As more companies come to the state, and we all compete for the best talent, it creates a great dynamic that ensures companies continue to focus on fostering fun, innovative and challenging places for people to work,” said Dawson, chief information officer for GE Digital New Orleans.

Also mentioned are Lafayette Regional Airport’s future $90 million terminal; the Interstate 20 Cyber Corridor anchored by Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana Tech University and Monroe; and the Central Louisiana Economic Development Alliance’s groundwork in establishing its 10-parish region as an ACT Work Ready Community

GNO Inc. president and CEO Michael Hecht describes the New Orleans region’s competitive business advantage as “low-cost, high-culture” and says it also helps drive record numbers of tourists to Louisiana.

More than 41 million visited the state last year, according to Nungesser.

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