PRESS RELEASE

Department of Economic Development News Update
Five Business Counseling Centers Open Today To Help Hurricane-Affected Businesses
BATON ROUGE (September 11, 2008) - Louisiana Economic Development (LED), The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Louisiana Small Business Development Center Network (LSBDC) and regional economic development partners announced the opening of five Business Counseling Centers created to assist businesses affected by Hurricane Gustav.

The centers, located in Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Carencro, Metairie and Thibodaux, will provide free, one-on-one consultations with SBA customer service representatives and LSBDC counselors. Services include assessing economic injury, assistance with the SBA Disaster Loan program, cash flow projections and most importantly, a review of all recovery options to ensure each business makes the right financial decisions.

Louisiana Business Counseling Center locations are:

Louisiana Technology Park, LLC
7117 Florida Boulevard
Baton Rouge, La. 70806
225.218.1100

LSBDC Greater New Orleans Region
UNO Jefferson Center
3330 N. Causeway, Suite 422
Metairie, La. 70002
504.831.3730

South Louisiana Economic Business Assistance Center
629 East First St.
Thibodaux, La. 70301
985.446.6023

Enterprise Center of Louisiana
3419 N.W. Evangeline Thruway
Carencro, La. 70520-9000
337.896.9115

LSBDC at Alexandria
Dunbar Plaza Suite 114
3600 Jackson Street Extension
Alexandria, La. 71303
318.484.2123

Centers are scheduled to be open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For additional information on the state's Business Counseling Center locations or to sign up for e-mail updates on business assistance, please visit LouisianaForward.com/BizHelp.

Louisiana Business Counseling Centers are not associated with FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers. To contact FEMA for assistance, please call 1.800.621.FEMA or visit www.FEMA.gov.

For the latest information on hurricanes Gustav and Ike, visit emergency.louisiana.gov.

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