Stacey Tinsley
Bossier Press-Tribune
The North Bossier Lunch Group met for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the area Wednesday Oct. 21. Guest speaker at the meeting was Eric England, Executive Director of Caddo-Bossier Parishes Port Commission.
England briefly discussed the history of the port and what the port brings to our area regarding jobs and income.
The 3,200-acre Port of Caddo-Bossier is an industrial park and inland multi-modal transportation and distribution center located at the head of navigation on the Red River Waterway in Northwest Louisiana, about four miles south of the city limits of the City of Shreveport.
The unique location advantages allow the port to provide businesses here a link to domestic and international markets via the Mississippi River, the nation’s largest river system, and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
“What we’re doing today at the port was laid out 20 years ago. Our definition of economic development is creating wealth and prosperity for the community using your resources. Along the way of being a barge, rail, truck facility. We also build massive pieces of infrastructures,” England said.
“We have multiple, multiple construction projects going on just to support our customers. On any given year we will run the port with a 6 million dollar operating budget. But our capital budget for projects exceeds 30-40 Million dollars on an annual basis,” he added.
Since the 1830s when Captain Henry Shreve cleared the log jam called “The Great Raft,” Shreveport has served as a major shipping point, moving bales of cotton, tobacco and furs.
Today, The Port of Caddo-Bossier is still a major point of river transportation, housing more than 20 corporations who all know how well The Port works for them.
The Port of Caddo-Bossier welcomed its first load of cargo in 1995 and has received more than 9 million tons of barge freight since that time. In addition, our rail business at the Port has handled over 8 million tons of rail freight.
The North Bossier Lunch Group meeting’s goal is to bring together men and women in the north Bossier community that want to stay informed and want to make a difference in it.
Their vision for the luncheon will help North Bossier business owners, stakeholders, community leaders, and community partners network with each other and discuss the growth, development, and business future of North Bossier and Bossier City.
