Broussard, Louisiana - broussardla.com

Daily Advertiser - www.theadvertiser.com 05/18/2004

Beverly Corbell

BROUSSARD — Broussard is one of the fastest-growing areas in the state, and Mayor Charles Langlinais plans to keep it that way. Langlinais was elected on a pro-growth platform, and he’s traveling to Las Vegas later this month to try and bring in more business.

Broussard became a city two years ago when its residential population boomed. Commercial growth has also been on the increase, Langlinais said. Construction has finally begun on a 10-screen multiplex movie theater, and two new branch banks are being built by Community First Bank and St. Martin Bank & Trust.

“When people ask why we have so many banks in Broussard, I give them the same answer John Dillinger did when people asked why he robbed banks,” Langlinais said. “Because that’s where all the money is.” St. Martin Bank, he added, is responsible for 70 percent of financing for the new businesses springing up in town.

Bringing more money, through more businesses and more jobs, will be uppermost in Langlinais’ mind when the goes to the Las Vegas Convention Center on May 23-25 for the International Council of Shopping Centers convention.

“It’s the biggest retail convention in the world, with 60,000 exhibitors,” Langlinais said. “Virtually everybody who does business in the U.S. will be there, even foreign firms. We’ve been on the waiting list for two years for a booth, and I hope next year we’ll get it. Once you get one, you stay, because there is so much demand.”

Even though he won’t have a booth, Langlinais will have a sales tool. A new DVD on Broussard will be finished today, and Langlinais will not only take copies to the convention, but will make it available to local businesses and citizens as well.

“The DVD is menu-driven, and anybody that is interested in Broussard will be sent one,” he said. “It will have segments, split between tourism and economic development, and will have a menu for demographics that shows the latest number of people and household incomes.”

The DVD will also have projections for what Broussard will be like when Ambassador Caffery Drive is extended to U.S. Route 90 near town, Langlinais said, and will include a 5-year and 10-year economic forecast.

“We’ve also developed an aerial photo that shows the future of the Ambassador Caffery corridor , Albertsons Parkway and U.S. Route 90 and the Interstate 49 corridor,” Langlinais said.

Langlinais called the information on the DVD “eye-popping” and said he’s already set up appointments to use it to try and “sell” Broussard to the Burlington Coat Company and Office Depot when he gets to Nevada.

“All this (information on the DVD) shows that we are number one in percentage of growth in Louisiana, both in commercial and residential, number one in job growth and number one in income per capita,” he said.

Langlinais said Broussard is also among the top 10 cities in growth, both commercial and residential, along the Gulf Coast.

“We’re also among the top 100 in the U.S.,” he said.

And while Langlinais heads off to Las Vegas, things will continue to boom at home. Within the past year, several new businesses have built stores along Albertson Parkway, which extends from U.S. 90 to La. 89. Included are a hardware store, car rental company, paint and body shop, specialty meat company and tire store, with more development expected.

A new strip mall is also going up on Morgan Street, the storefronts are all filled in the Albertsons shopping mall, and Langlinais is currently negotiating for an extended-stay motel and possibly a new nursing home that would provide about 200 jobs. Another new business in town will build frames for race cars.

Langlinais plans to spread all that good news about all that growth when he gets to Las Vegas, and hopes his efforts will continue to help Broussard grow.

“The idea is not so much to show the major retailers that we have about 8,000 people, but with (the work on) Ambassador Caffery, due to be let out in December, and the improvements in infrastructure, what we have is minuscule compared to what (Ambassador) Caffery is going to do. By far the most growth in this area is in Youngsville and Broussard. So, we’re going to try to get them to come and look around and ‘kick some tires.’ ”