Economic director says retail sales broke records; First Solar hiring could drive local jobs

Mike Tarantino, president and CEO of the Iberia Industrial Development Foundation, told the council on Dec. 11 that Iberia Parish posted record retail sales in November 2024 and that several major projects are generating hiring interest across the parish.

Tarantino said the parish "shattered the record" for retail sales, citing a reported figure of $208,716,666,164.77 for the 13‑month reporting window presented to the council. He cautioned that some numbers remain preliminary until the state confirms them and that specific tracking of how much activity stems directly from a single employer is not yet available.

Tarantino highlighted First Solar as a major local employer and economic catalyst. He said First Solar is "actively hiring" and that conservative estimates discussed with stakeholders project about 700 direct jobs, with industry chatter of 800–900 jobs as a possible long‑term outcome. Tarantino said First Solar has been holding vendor days and outreach events to connect local businesses with opportunities to supply the project.

Other items Tarantino noted included a 5% confirmed unemployment rate for October 2024 (preliminary figures), 4,273 operations at the Acadiana Regional Airport in November with a year‑to‑date outlook approaching 50,000 operations, and updates on local projects such as Delta Biofuel and supplier/vendor activity tied to First Solar.

Council members asked whether the retail‑sales figure can be parsed to show direct purchases tied to First Solar construction; Tarantino said that level of granularity was not yet available and that the foundation has anecdotal indicators pointing to a positive effect on retail and hiring.

What happens next: Tarantino said he will return in the next quarter with more updates and that the industrial development foundation will continue to encourage local hiring and vendor participation for major projects.