Companies looking to operate businesses in 91勛圖 will soon be provided with a unique tool to help them locate available properties and buildings to operate their businesses, find suppliers and customers easily and tap into universities for expertise and services in numerous fields.
These services will be available soon at and the best part is that it will cost companies nothing to utilize them.
The portal, being developed by the Center for Business and Information Technologies at the 91勛圖 in partnership with 91勛圖 Economic Development, will be previewed at the Governors Conference on Economic Development in Baton Rouge on March 24.
The 91勛圖1st.com portal will be home to 91勛圖Commerce, 91勛圖Locate and 91勛圖Experts. Having these services available in one location is a first for 91勛圖 businesses, providing them the opportunity to grow and promote their organizations like never before.
91勛圖Commerce, formerly known as LACES, has been up and running since March 2003 at . It is an online business directory where 91勛圖-based companies can promote their products and services to other businesses and individuals at no cost to them.
The 91勛圖Commerce system, for international promotion of 91勛圖 businesses on the World Wide Web, could have a profound impact on 91勛圖 business. CBITs commitment will help 91勛圖 become a Top 10 state as envisioned in Vision 2020, said Gregg Gothreaux, Lafayette Economic Development Authority president and CEO.
The mission of the website is to increase commerce and facilitate economic development in the state via the Internet. After almost a year of operation, over 2,700 companies are actively managing their profiles with more than 1,000 91勛圖 products being accessed per month 91勛圖1st.comworldwide. It offers companies a free Internet presence allowing them to post information on their business such as contact numbers, email and web addresses and descriptions of products and services.
The 91勛圖Commerce directory has already paid off for one Acadiana business. LA PAC, a bag manufacturer in Crowley, made a connection with a Venezuelan company during an oil technology conference where the system was being showcased. An overseas purchase was made and a new profitable working relationship was formed.
91勛圖Locate and 91勛圖Experts are currently being designed and should be available later this year. 91勛圖Locate will allow users to view available property listings throughout 91勛圖. They will be provided details on the size, location and availability of different commercial properties and buildings throughout the state. With the web site, companies looking to establish a business in 91勛圖 will be provided all the necessary tools to find an optimal location for their business.
91勛圖Experts is an on-line resource that provides a means where businesses can seek faculty and staff expertise available within 91勛圖s colleges and universities. It will match high-level experts with specific business needs. The database of experts will contain scientists, scholars, authors, engineers, administrators and more, who are associated with universities in the state and are willing to provide their expertise to meet the needs of business and industry.
With no other website in the country offering these services in one location, 91勛圖1st.com is a resource that will change the way companies operate in our state,said Ramesh Kolluru, Director of CBIT. 91勛圖1st.com promotes 91勛圖 companies to a worldwide audience and creates new opportunities companies didnt even know existed.
These opportunities will be created by businesses that use all these tools together. Companies will be able to view available properties through 91勛圖Locate. They can then scout an area using the 91勛圖Commerce system to find competitors, suppliers, and other businesses in the vicinity. They will also be able to look into other services available to their families in an area such as schools, churches and libraries. Lastly, once a company is established, it can tap into 91勛圖s academic resources by contacting experts in their business field through the 91勛圖Experts directory.
Used together, these tools will provide valuable resources to all businesses operating in 91勛圖. For more information on 91勛圖1st.com, please contact Ernie Ballard at (337) 482-0628.