SHREVEPORT-MONROE, La. — North Louisiana Economic Partnership (NLEP) President Scott Martinez has been appointed to two advisory task forces aimed at reopening Louisiana’s economy: the Governor’s Resilient Louisiana Commission and the Louisiana Legislative Advisory Task Force on Economic Recovery. Under the Governor’s Resilient Louisiana Commission, Martinez will co-chair the Economic & Community Development Taskforce, charged with developing strategies to make our regions and communities more resilient in the face of future healthcare threats and other risks.
“I am honored to work with the Governor and Legislative leaders along with my colleagues in economic development and representatives from the private sector to examine how we safely reopen our economy,” said Scott Martinez, CEcD. “How we reopen our economy and the economic development initiatives that we develop in the weeks ahead will have a big impact on how quickly Louisiana’s economy will recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Louisiana Legislative Advisory Task Force on Economic Recovery is charged with crafting comprehensive policy, legislative and regulatory recommendations to immediately re-start the Louisiana economy and to invest in the long-term recovery of households, workers, and businesses from the COVID-19 crisis. The legislative, private-sector advisory Task Force will collaborate to develop practical, specific recommendations to jump-start the Louisiana economy in the short term and work toward a stronger economy in the long term. Recommendations might include statutory and regulatory changes, as well as state aid for affected businesses and workers. The Legislative Task Force will consist of representatives from a wide range of business sectors throughout Louisiana, including oil and gas, agriculture, manufacturing, automotive, banking, hospitality, food and beverage, trucking, construction, and medical.
“The people of our state have come together to fight an unprecedented public health crisis,” said Louisiana Senate President Page Cortez. “It’s now time to come together to fight a historic economic crisis. We must draw on our collective knowledge and expertise to chart the way forward.”
“Louisiana’s workers and entrepreneurs are resilient,” said Louisiana Speaker of the House of Representatives Clay Schexnayder. “But they need elected officials at the federal, state, and local level to lay the best possible foundation for a full recovery. This group of private-sector leaders will offer advice and perspective that will help state officials set the stage for long-term growth.”
Similarly, the Resilient Louisiana Commission will be making recommendations to Governor Edwards for more resilient business-related activities and reopening the economy in the coming months. The Commission is organized in a task force structure with 15 sector specific task forces dedicated to strengthening individual sectors of Louisiana’s economy. Task forces will be focused on solutions for the following critical sectors:
- economic & community development
- health care & human services
- information technology & communications
- financial services, insurance & real estate
- transportation & infrastructure
- energy
- manufacturing
- hospitality & tourism, including hotels
- rural development
- education and workforce, with attention given to the training needs of displaced workers
- construction
- gaming
- small business & retail
- food & agriculture
- restaurants & entertainment
As President of the NLEP, an Accredited Economic Development Organization, serving 14 North Louisiana Parishes, Scott Martinez is a recognized leader in economic development. In a career spanning over 20 years, he has worked directly on projects culminating in over $1.1 billion in direct capital investment. Martinez has served in economic development roles in the Houston and Austin, Texas markets as well as his home state of Mississippi.
Under Scott’s leadership, the NLEP has been named Louisiana Association of Business & Industry’s Economic Development Partner of the Year and received five Excellence in Economic Development Awards from the International Economic Development Council. He previously served on the Governor’s transition team for economic development and was recently appointed to the Legislative Task Force on High Speed Internet Broadband Service. Scott currently serves on the Governance Committee of the International Economic Development Council.
Scott is a Certified Economic Developer and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Mississippi and a Master of Science degree in Economic Development from the University of Southern Mississippi. Martinez frequently speaks to state and national groups on economic development issues. Scott currently serves on the Board of Directors of the International Economic Development Council also serves on its Governance Committee. He has served as an instructor in economic development training courses offered by Texas A&M University and by the Trent Lott National Center for Excellence in Economic Development and Entrepreneurship at the University of Southern Mississippi.
About North Louisiana Economic Partnership
North Louisiana Economic Partnership, an Accredited Economic Development Organization, provides professional economic development services to the 14 parish region of North Louisiana, including lead generation and prospect management. The organization also represents the interests of North Louisiana with a unified voice and as a single point of contact. It acts as a catalyst, a convener, and a connector in the region to ensure that North Louisiana’s economic development potential is realized. Its vision is for North Louisiana to be a thriving region-a destination for high quality talent, innovative companies, and global investment.