COMMUNITY

Lake Area Industry Alliance member companies are proud to participate and lead the way in many community endeavors. From a survey of plant managers in 2018, local industry and their employees contributed over $30 million to area organizations since 2014. The survey also showed that employees of local industries volunteered over 80,000 hours with area organizations since 2014. They are involved, making our community better.

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Philanthropy

Area industries and their employees are among the most generous corporate citizens in Southwest Louisiana, giving millions in donations. According to a survey of plant managers in 2018, local industries gave over $30 million to area organizations in the last five years. The United Way of Southwest Louisiana reports that Calcasieu Parish industrial employees gave $13.5 million in the last five years.

Consider these statistics:

  • $5.8 million in financial contributions by local industries to the McNeese State University Foundation
  • 10 endowed scholarships at McNeese State University
  • 11 endowed professorships at McNeese State University
  • $1 million donated for equipment and program support at SOWELA in the last five years
  • $1.4 million for capital projects at SOWELA in the last five years
  • $198,000 for scholarships to SOWELA in the last five years
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Community Advisory Panel

Being a good industrial neighbor means listening to ideas and feedback from residents in the area. Lake Area Industry Alliance and several member companies have voluntarily formed Community Advisory Panels, or CAP’s, to share information.

Industry representatives along with 12 to 15 community members meet regularly. The community members represent a wide cross-section of residents including business owners, educators, close neighbors to the industrial site, members of the clergy, senior citizens and volunteers. CAP members choose the topics of discussion based on interest voice by the group.

The panels serve as an advisory group to the industry, collecting the opinions and feedback from their centers of influence and relaying them back to other CAP members and industry representatives. The CAP’s do not operate as a decision-making body but the provide valuable feedback and many of the discussions help local industry officials.

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Partner in Education

The Partner in Education program has been a great success since it began decades ago through the Calcasieu Parish School Board. The program connects schools with area business, and local industries were quick to sign up to give back to area schools; they are some of the most generous in the Partner in Education program. From providing workshops for teachers, to volunteering time to improve school facilities, to eating lunch with students, area industries and their employees have contributed thousands of dollars and thousands of hours for many years.

INDUSTRY SCHOOL
Cameron LNG W.T. Henning Elementary 
CITGO CPAS East (Calcasieu Parish Alternative School – East)
  E.K. Key Elementary
  LeBlanc Middle STEM Academy
  Maplewood Elementary
  Sulphur High
  Sulphur High 9th Grade
Energy Transfer Oak Park Middle
Entergy S. P. Arnett Middle
Firestone Polymers Moss Bluff Middle
Grace Barbe High
Indorama Maplewood Elementary
  W.W. Lewis Middle
Louisiana Pigment Gillis Elementary
Lotte Chemical LeBlanc Middle
  Maplewood Middle
Lyondell Basell Fairview Elementary
  Starks High
  Sulphur High
  T. S. Cooley Elementary
Phillips 66 Barbe Elementary
  LaGrange High
  Pearl Watson Elementary
  Westlake High
INDUSTRY SCHOOL
Sasol Combre-Fondel Elementary
  Western Heights Elementary
  Westwood Elementary
Targa Vincent Settlement Elementary
Tellurian Frasch Elementary
  Sulphur High
  T.S. Cooley Elementary
  Vincent Settlement Elementary
  Washington Marion High
Turner Industries Frasch Elementary
Westlake Combre-Fondel Elementary
  Cypress Cove Elementary
  J.D. Clifton Early Learning Center
  LaGrange High
  Maplewood Elementary
  Sam Houston High
  S.P. Arnett Middle
  Vincent Settlement Elementary
  Vinton Elementary
  Vinton High

SWLA Women In Industry

SWLA Women in Industry is designed to promote careers in the industrial field to female juniors and seniors in high school by connecting them with female leaders within industry in a broad range of careers and specialties, including accounting, human resources, lab, engineering, business management and more.

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Paint Recycling

Since 2000, Lake Area Industry Alliance has participated in a Paint Recycling event, encouraging local industrial employees to volunteer. Thousands of gallons of residential paint, donated from the community from various repair and remodeling projects, have been recycled at this event.

Proper disposal of paint is important as paint can be harmful to the environment. The recycled paint is donated to charity organizations.

To date, over 21,000 gallons of paint have been recycled with the help of hundreds of volunteers. Their time adds up to more than 11,000 hours donated to this cause.

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Chem Expo

Nearly 2,000 7th graders attended Chem Expo 2023 to see science in action! Students moved through various interactive stations where they participated in experiments using ingredients for products produced by local industries.

This endeavor is a success thanks to over 500 volunteers from local industries, along with teachers from McNeese State University, SOWELA Technical Community College and area high school chemistry classes.

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The Educators’ Institute

The Educators’ Institute is a two-day interactive professional development opportunity designed to give educators in Southwest Louisiana tools to help students prepare for careers with local industry.

Participants are given tours of local industries, participate in hands-on learning activities, and engage in panel discussions with plant managers.

Environmental Initiatives

LAIA member companies are consistently below EPA standards. During any incident, these companies self-report to the appropriate agency.

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