A number of factors make a location an ideal place for a start-up, including the local cost of living and taxes. Access to resources like financing and talent are also important variables. Shreveport has been recognized as a city with many of these key elements to making a successful start for a new company. In WalletHub’s 2015 ranking of the best and worst places to start a business in the United States, Shreveport came on top (1). In 2016, Shreveport ranked eighteenth in WalletHub’s list of the best large cities to start a business (2). The same study found that Shreveport has the fifth highest rate of growth for small businesses.

Shreveport is Louisiana’s third largest city. The city is a major commercial center in the Ark-La-Tex region where Louisiana meets with Arkansas and Texas. Interstates 20 and 49 link the city to nearby states, while Shreveport Regional Airport offers direct flights to major economic centers in the South including Atlanta, Dallas and Houston. Founded in 1836, Shreveport is home to nearly 200,000 people (3). A major business hub for the oil industry until the 1980s, the city is now home to a strong service-based economy. Major commercial developments include the Louisiana Boardwalk, a large shopping and entertainment complex in neighboring Bossier City. Downtown is the home of the 350,000 square foot Shreveport Convention Center.

Businesses in Shreveport benefit from several tax incentive programs at the local and state level. Louisiana’s Enterprise Zone Program provides tax credits and sales and use tax refunds for businesses hiring from targeted groups, while the local Caddo-Bossier Foreign Trade Zone allows for the import of materials and components without paying duties until they enter the U.S. market. With the Louisiana Quality Jobs Program, an annual rebate is available for up to ten years for employers that meet minimum hourly wage rates and offer a basic health plan. Motion picture and television production companies also benefit from refunds on sales and use taxes. Read more »

Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast are all continuing to see significant investment in regeneration projects. Projects range from the redevelopment of city centre brownfield sites to massive waterfront regeneration projects that will span decades. Thanks to new investments in renewing the urban landscape of these regional economic centres, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will benefit from new employment and business opportunities in a number of sectors.

Scotland

Outside of London, Glasgow is the most important financial hub in the United Kingdom. It is also a top shopping destination and has seen an investment of over £6 billion since 2011 in infrastructure, offices, hotels, leisure, education, health, housing and retail according to the Regeneration Investment Organisation (RIO). With a gross development value of £2.7 billion, the Clyde Gateway in Glasgow is one of Scotland’s flagship regeneration projects. In addition to adding modern commercial and industrial spaces, the project features new leisure and residential development. Read more »