Strategically located at the intersection of I-10 and I-49 with an integrated transportation network, diversified business base, super-fast fiber optic internet, world-class workforce and incentives designed with your success in mind, the “Hub City” has been one of the South’s best kept secrets…until now. With so much to offer, the Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA) is inviting corporate executives and site selectors to look to Lafayette and see what’s possible!
One recent business to make the move is SchoolMint, a software company serving the U.S. pre-K to 12 education market. It’s the first company to bring a comprehensive Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) solution to its customers to help them attract, enroll and retain students and staff. SchoolMint serves thousands of customers, over 12 million students and families, and more than half of the largest school districts in the U.S.
The company specializes in online enrollment management. When COVID-19 hit, the software services, which were already growing quickly, really took off because parents couldn’t get to a physical school to register their children. Today, SchoolMint has approximately 250 employees — 100 of them located in Louisiana.
Check out our interview below with Schoolmint CEO Bryan MacDonald to see why Lafayette topped his list for relocation and expansion:
Why did SchoolMint relocate to Lafayette, LA? What are the unique advantages of doing business here?
My executive team and I chose to locate in Lafayette after a careful review of more than 15 cities around the U.S. Lafayette really stood out through its mix of affordability, business incentives and pro-business climate, quality of life and amazing talent pool of friendly and hardworking residents.
Lafayette is centrally located, has a new airport terminal, and the University of Louisiana Lafayette (home of the Ragin Cajuns) is a top-tier Carnegie R1 research university producing very high-quality graduates.
We were also impressed by Lafayette’s great quality of life, affordability and a strong and unique culture with distinctive food, music, and entertainment.
What advice do you have for others who are considering launching or scaling their business in Lafayette, LA?
Lafayette and Louisiana as a whole have created a variety of incentives to help businesses attract and recruit talent, offer training and reskilling to workers, and even find very interesting real estate options.
If you are considering moving here, do your research and check into the various state and local incentives. Lafayette has various economic development organizations to support your relocation efforts like Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA), One Acadiana, the Downtown Development Authority, and property development resource organizations like the Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority (LPTFA).
Lafayette is a great place to do business and the support from local organizations and available local incentives add icing to the cake.
How would you describe the business climate in Lafayette?
Lafayette is very pro-business and job creators are held in high regard.
The local government and its various agencies are always looking to support existing businesses and welcome new ones to the area.
As one example, we moved SchoolMint during the height of the COVID lockdown and even before we arrived in town, LEDA was helping us with virtual job fairs, virtual office location tours and more. That’s the kind of ‘roll out the red carpet’ that is very attractive for businesses considering the area.
Part of making a corporate relocation decision involves exploration of livability factors on behalf of executives and staff. What surprised you about Lafayette’s livability factors when you moved there?
The quality of life. Of course, we had been told Lafayette had a great quality of life, but words don’t do it justice. People are incredibly friendly and welcoming, the food scene is incredible, and there is always a festival or event happening. People love to celebrate their heritage and culture here, and two of the largest free music festivals in the world happen here — Festival International de Louisiane and Festival Acadiens et Creoles.
Look to Lafayette
If you’re looking for a business-friendly community in the south with a strong, diversified economy and hard-working talent pool, contact Hoyt Strain, Director of Business Attraction, at the Lafayette Economic Development Authority or visit LooktoLafayette.com for more information.
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