Could Shreveport/Bossier Be The Next Silicon Valley?
When you say "hi-tech", Shreveport/Bossier City is probably not the first image that pops to mind. But according to a new article in Innovation and Tech Today magazine, Louisiana's 3rd and 6th largest cities are poised to be major players in the tech trade.
As a recent transplant to Shreveport, I can attest to the fact that people are just friendlier here. Shreveporters are much more acceptable of "outsiders" than other parts of the country I've lived in like Wichita, Kansas, and Mobile, Alabama. The cost of living is affordable; there's not much traffic; and, with 55 festivals throughout the year including Mardi Gras, there are plenty of activities that make Shreveport/Bossier appealing.
Back in 2015, WalletHub released a study that ranked Shreveport as the #1 place in the U.S. to start a new business. We scored high in office space affordability and skilled workforce availability. Hi-tech companies are taking notice.
In September of last year EATEL Business' subsidiary, Venyu Solutions, opened a new data center in the old Selber Brothers Department Store building in downtown Shreveport. It's the only three-tier data center in Louisiana, with the second highest level of security available worldwide. In a press release issued this past September concerning the center's grand opening, Louisiana Governor Bel Edwards stated, "From the Cyber Innovation Center to the Global Strike Command at Barksdale Air Force Base, to the 800-job CSRA Integrated Technology Center at our National Cyber Research Park, Shreveport and Bossier City are blazing a new technology corridor that extends to Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, CenturyLink in Monroe and to other points along Interstate 20."
The hi-tech industry can be hi-stress; so with its laid back lifestyle, Shreveport/Bossier is on the radar for companies looking for quality of life and an excellent technology infrastructure.