Welcome to the Southwest Louisiana Economic Intel podcast. This brief monthly show covering the Southwest Louisiana economy is presented by the McNeese Drew Center for Business and Economic Analysis in partnership with the SWLA Economic Development Alliance. We hope you will spare around 15 minutes each month to join us as we discuss our region’s continued economic progress.
For comments and suggestions, please email drewecon@mcneese.edu.
For more information about the SWLA economy, please visit www.mcneesedrewecon.org.
Richert Self, Executive Director of the Port of Lake Charles, discusses the port's operations and its significant role in Southwest Louisiana's economy, offering insights into the region's economic future in this interview.
27 Dec 2024
Episode 12 – SWLA Economic Development, George Swift
The Southwest Louisiana Economic Intel Podcast continues with its focus on the SWLA regional economy. Join us as we talk to George Swift. He is founding President and CEO of the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance. He has been involved in SWLA economic development for decades. We discuss how George came into the position, some of the events that have taken place during his tenure, and so much about the history and future of the SWLA economy.
https://www.allianceswla.org/ (https://www.allianceswla.org/)
29 Sept 2024
Episode 11 – Marketing (Healthy Image and Thrive), Kristy Armand
The Southwest Louisiana Economic Intel Podcast continues looking at industries in the SWLA region. Join us as we talk to Kristy Armand. She is founder of both Healthy Image Marketing Agency and Thrive Magazine. We discuss how Kristy came into the position and some of the interesting projects she’s taken on over the years. We also examine the important role of small businesses as well as marketing in the economy vs. marketing an economy / region. Finally, we hear about where she thinks the SWLA economy is headed in the future as well as how she has kept up with new technological developments during her career and will continue to into the future.
https://ehealthyimage.com/ (https://ehealthyimage.com/)
https://thriveswla.com/ (https://thriveswla.com/)
26 Jul 2024
Episode 10 – Lake Charles Regional Airport, Heath Allen
The Southwest Louisiana Economic Intel Podcast has finished talking to all the parishes in our region and are moving back to industry and other facets important to the SWLA economy. Join us as we talk to Heath Allen. He is Executive Director of the Lake Charles Regional Airport
(LCH). We discuss how Heath came into the position, dealing with the events of 2020 (COVID, Storms), and the future of LCH. We also examine the important role of airports in economic development. Finally, we hear about where he thinks the SWLA economy is headed in the future as well as where he’d like to see the airport headed in the next few years.
https://flylakecharles.com/ (https://flylakecharles.com/)
6 Jun 2024
Episode 9 – Allen Parish, Jacob Dillehay
The Southwest Louisiana Economic Intel Podcast continues looking at each of the parishes in the SWLA region. Allen Parish has a unique economy in that it is split between northern Louisiana and SWLA. Join us as we talk to Jacob Dillehay. He is the Parish Administrator / Engineer for the Allen Parish Police Jury. We discuss how Jacob came into the position, the Allen Parish economy, and talk about some of the developments underway. We also examine the economic roles played by commodities such as timber, services such as gaming, and energy related developments (solar, CCS) in the region. Finally, we hear about where the Allen Parish economy is headed in the future.
https://www.allenparishpolicejury.com/ (https://www.allenparishpolicejury.com/)
16 Apr 2024
Episode 8 - Beauregard Parish, Lisa Adams
The Southwest Louisiana Economic Intel Podcast continues looking at each of the parishes in the SWLA region. Beauregard Parish has the most timber in our region, but there’s much more to the area. Join us as we talk to Lisa Adams. She is the Director of the Greater Beauregard Chamber of Commerce. We discuss how Lisa came into the
position, the Beauregard Parish economy, and delve into the role of the local chamber and the efforts underway to grow their parish economy. Finally, we talk about how the Beauregard Parish economy will develop in the future.
https://www.beauchamber.org/ (https://www.beauchamber.org/)
https://growingbeauregard.com/ (https://growingbeauregard.com/)
https://www.atlantafed.org/economy-matters/regional-economics/2023/12/18/from-no-mans-land-to-everyones-town-deridder-louisiana (https://www.atlantafed.org/economy-matters/regional-economics/2023/12/18/from-no-mans-land-to-everyones-town-deridder-louisiana)
24 Jan 2024
Episode 7 – Erin Davison and Ben Drouilhet; Big Brothers Big Sisters
The Southwest Louisiana Economic Intel Podcast takes a break from looking at each of the five parishes in Southwest Louisiana to discuss charitable endeavors and donor/volunteer opportunities and how those play a role in the local community, lives of citizens, and the local economy. Today we are joined by Erin Davison and Ben Drouilhet. Erin is the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of SWLA. She has been at the helm of BBBS through the pandemic and SWLA natural disasters. Ben Drouilhet works here at the SWLA Economic Development Alliance as a Chamber Member Agent and is directly involved as a Big Brother in the organization.
https://www.bbbsswla.org/ (https://www.bbbsswla.org/)
2 Nov 2023
Episode 6 – Cameron Parish: Part 2, Kim Montie
The Southwest Louisiana Economic Intel Podcast continues looking at each of the parishes in the SWLA region. Cameron Parish is so unique that we must spend two episodes exploring this area. This part focuses on the current situation of the Cameron Parish economy and what is in store for the area in the future. Join us as we talk to Kim Montie. She is the Director of the Cameron Parish Port, Harbor, and Terminal District, which falls in line with the role of economic development. We discuss how Kim came into the position, the Cameron Parish economy, and all the local challenges and successes that go along with the recovery. Finally, we talk about how the Cameron Parish economy will develop in the future.
25 Sept 2023
Episode 5 – Cameron Parish: Part 1, Clair Hebert Marceaux
The Southwest Louisiana Economic Intel Podcast continues looking at each of the parishes in the SWLA region. Cameron Parish is so unique that we must spend two episodes exploring this area. This part focuses on the history of the Cameron Parish economy and some of the economic development aspects that went into its amazing transformation. Join us as we talk to Clair Hebert Marceaux. She is the former Economic Development Director for the Cameron Parish Police Jury and the former Director of the Cameron Parish Port, Harbor, and Terminal District. We discuss how Clair came into the position, the Cameron Parish economy, all the local challenges and successes that went along with experiencing an industrial construction and manufacturing boom, as well as her outlook for where the parish and region headed.
For more information, please visit her LinkedIn profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/clair-hebert-marceaux-pced-cled-749b8492/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/clair-hebert-marceaux-pced-cled-749b8492/)
29 Aug 2023
Episode 4 – Jefferson Davis Parish, Creed Romano
The Southwest Louisiana Economic Intel Podcast begins looking at each of the parishes in the SWLA region. We begin with Jefferson Davis Parish. Join us as we talk to Creed Romano. He is the President and CEO of the Jefferson Davis Parish Economic Development Commission, Tourist Commission, and Chamber of Commerce. We discuss how Creed came into the position, the Jefferson Davis Parish economy and some major developments, as well as his outlook for where the parish and region as a
whole are headed.
For more information, please visit their web page and follow their social media.
https://jeffdavis.org/ (https://jeffdavis.org/)
https://twitter.com/JeffDavisParish (https://twitter.com/JeffDavisParish)
https://www.facebook.com/jeffdavisparish (https://www.facebook.com/jeffdavisparish)
24 Jul 2023
Episode 3 – Mike Smith and Alena Maschke, The Advocate Newspaper Reporters
Mike Smith and Alena Maschke are reporters for The Advocate newspaper who were assigned to report on the recovery of the region from the natural disasters. Both moved to the SWLA and immersed themselves in all aspects of the recovery process. Join us as we discuss how they came into the position and their experiences in the community. We also examine how SWLA compares to other regions and what really stood out to them about the SWLA economy. Finally, they are asked how their time in SWLA will affect their future assignments.
For more information and to read their stories, please visit their web pages and follow their social media.
Mike Smith:
https://www.theadvocate.com/users/profile/mike%20smith/ (https://www.theadvocate.com/users/profile/mike%20smith/)
https://twitter.com/mikejsmith504 (https://twitter.com/mikejsmith504)
Alena Maschke:
https://www.theadvocate.com/users/profile/alena%20maschke/ (https://www.theadvocate.com/users/profile/alena%20maschke/)
https://twitter.com/AlenaMaschke (https://twitter.com/AlenaMaschke)
https://www.alenamaschke.com/ (https://www.alenamaschke.com/)
26 Jun 2023
Episode 2 – Alberto Galan, Assistant to the Parish Administrator – Calcasieu Parish Police Jury
This week’s guest, Alberto Galan, is the Assistant to the Parish Administrator of Calcasieu Parish and has been heading up all facets of the Long-Term Recovery Plan for the area. Join us as we discuss the process of heading up this effort as well as the funding coming in and how it’s allocated. We also discuss how people and businesses can apply for funding and how this long-term plan is actually being implemented. Finally, we discuss the next steps in the recovery process and how he thinks these recovery efforts will affect the region’s economy in the future.
For more information on CPPJ recovery, please visit https://www.restore.la.gov/ (https://www.restore.la.gov/) and https://www.calcasieu.gov/residents/long-term-hurricane-recovery-framework (https://www.calcasieu.gov/residents/long-term-hurricane-recovery-framework).
26 May 2023
Episode 1 – Jim Rock, Executive Director of the Lake Area Industrial Alliance
Jim Rock is the Executive Director of the Lake Area Industry Alliance (LAIA). Prior to heading that organization, he worked for companies such as PPG, Axiall, and Lotte. Join us as we discuss topics such as the LAIA itself, the SWLA “industrial base”, how the Lake Charles economy has changed, how COVID has affected the industries he represents. Finally, we discuss how he thinks the industrial sector of the economy will change heading into the future and environmental concerns.
29 Mar 2023
Southwest Louisiana Economic Intel Preview
Welcome to the Southwest Louisiana Economic Intel podcast. This brief monthly show covering the Southwest Louisiana economy is presented by the McNeese Drew Center for Business and Economic Analysis in partnership with the SWLA Economic Development Alliance. We hope you will spare around 15 minutes each month to join us as we discuss our region’s continued economic progress.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
170,768
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 39 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
30
Social presence
0
YouTube
86
Engagement
32
Contact Southwest Louisiana Economic Intel
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Southwest Louisiana Economic Intel?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
