New LEDA President and CEO Mandi Mitchell is halfway through her first week on the job.
Mitchell is replacing Gregg Gothreaux, who held the position for 26 years.
The Lafayette native was previously the assistant secretary with the Louisiana Economic Development Office.
She is also the first woman and the first person of color to hold the job.
KATC took a closer look at her plans for Lafayette Parish.
"With us being at the intersection of I-10 and I-49, the list goes on. We have a strong economic base here and plenty of opportunities to build upon that and I'm just excited to continue the great work Lafayette Economic Authority has been doing."
Some of those opportunities include keeping parish relationships consistent while improving opportunities for the Northside of Lafayette.
"We have to ensure that we are helping those small businesses, those main street businesses to navigate the resources that are available to them so that something that's critical. The other thing that's really important to me is working with each of our sister cities in Lafayette Parish to ensure that we are supporting their efforts to grow in their niche areas a focus on what makes those communities,” Mitchell added.
Although she spent time away from Lafayette, she played a vital role in Amazon building their fulfillment center in Carencro.
"A couple of years ago, of participating in a meeting with some Amazon leaders in the economic development space and helping to tell the compelling story for Louisiana as a whole with us being strategically located, with us having a top-notch workforce and work ethic and with us being again a location where the company could really continue to capitalize on their growth that's happening globally,” said Mitchell.
It's a growth she plans to continue at the helm of LEDA.
"I look forward to coming in as a really strong team player so that we can continue the growth of Lafayette Parish. Thankfully if we look at the last census data our parish actually grew and that is a blessing and we need to seize upon those opportunities to continue to grow and make some smart investments,” Mitchell added.
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