Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parish economic-development update: Axton Pharmaceuticals coming, SLB expansion pushes GM plant employment higher
Summary
Caddo Parish IDB and NLEP told commissioners that Axton Pharmaceuticals expects to open later this summer with about 70 jobs and that SLB (formerly Schlumberger) has expanded at the former GM plant site, with the partners projecting roughly 2,000 local jobs by year-end.
William Bradford, chairman of the Caddo Parish Industrial Development Board, and Justin Dixon of the Northwest Louisiana Economic Partnership updated the commission on economic-development projects during the July 9 meeting.
Bradford said Axton Pharmaceuticals, a veterinary and bridal (?) pharmaceutical manufacturer working with the Biomedical Research Foundation, anticipates coming online in the August–September window and will employ about 70 people with an average salary the IDB estimated at about $100,000. Bradford said the IDB helped collateralize a specialized piece of equipment for the project.
Justin Dixon described continued growth at the former GM plant site. The team credited the site’s conversion and recent investments for bringing SLB operations there; Dixon said SLB has already added thousands of positions since first announcing a 600-job commitment in 2023 and that the company is expected to reach roughly 2,000 employees in the parish by the end of 2026. The presenters described the work as building cooling and electrical systems for data centers.
Commissioners asked how residents can apply and what training is required. Dixon and Bradford pointed attendees to SLB’s careers page and the state’s FastStart workforce portal and offered to provide more precise hiring timelines and job-readiness information to the commission.
Bradford also reminded commissioners the IDB’s small-business growth grant program is open for applications and said the board will return with another update in about three months.
