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RESERVE— This week Port of South Louisiana held a ribbon cutting for its new Headquarters Building in Reserve, Louisiana. The brand-new, state-of-the-art facility is centrally located in PortSL’s three-parish jurisdiction at its Globalplex Intermodal Terminal along the Mississippi River. Coinciding with the event, PortSL also unveiled its rebrand, which will further tell its story to the world and highlight the Port’s position as an elite player in global shipping markets with economic growth potential for all stakeholders.

“It’s a new era at the Port of South Louisiana,” said PortSL Chief Executive Officer Paul Matthews. “As the nation’s leading grain exporter and the second largest port in the Western Hemisphere, PortSL is home to some of the nation’s most recognizable companies that employ more than 86,000 Louisiana workers. On top of that, through waterborne commerce, more than 3,500 vessels call on our Port annually. With this world-class facility and a fresh look and message, Port of South Louisiana is sending a signal across the globe that we are feeding and fueling the world and for anyone looking to do business with PortSL, we are A BETTER WAY TO CARGO.”

Joined by federal, state, and local officials, as well as industry partners, PortSL officially opened its new three-story 30,000 sq. ft. Headquarters building, which has approximately 20,000 sq. ft. of office space. The $11.6 million facility was largely made possible with $9.6 million of funding from the State of Louisiana through Capital Outlay. Under the supervision of PortSL Chief Planning and Project Officer Dale Hymel Jr., along with Guy Hopkins as Contractor, Meyer Engineers, LTD as Architect and Engineer, and Civil & Environmental Consulting Engineers as Resident Inspector, this project was completed despite many challenges like Hurricane Ida, COVID and supply chain issues.

“The dream of a constructing a new Headquarters building is something that predates my time on the Commission and has been a priority of three Port CEOs,” said PortSL Chairman Ryan Burks. “This will be the first time in the Port’s history that the entirety of our Administration will be housed under one roof. I am elated that Port SL’s fresh, modern look will no doubt make our Port more attractive to foreign and domestic investment and will attract jobs for the families of the River Parishes and the state of Louisiana.”

One of the first goals of PortSL CEO Paul Matthews was to challenge his team to create a brand and message that told the Port’s story in a more robust way and matched the Port’s prominent place in the global market. Under the supervision of Port SL’s Commercial and Communications Departments, the Port contracted with Red Six Media to develop a fresh brand identity that drives awareness, facilitates understanding, strengthens existing relationships, and forges new ones by featuring the infectious energy and growth potential of the Port of South Louisiana. PortSL’s new logo highlights the Port’s unique ability to utilize all four modes of multimodal transportation through shipping, trucking, rail, and aviation. Furthermore, this uniqueness sets PortSL apart from other ports in attracting foreign and domestic cargo, which inspired the new slogan: “A BETTER WAY TO CARGO.”

The news follows a year of monumental progress from Port of South Louisiana. It was recently announced that in 2022, PortSL moved a total of 239,257,758 short tons compared to a total of 229,797,480 short tons in 2021. This is the first year that Port of South Louisiana has seen a net increase in tonnage since 2017.  PortSL is also seeking to purchase Louisiana’s greatest industrial icon, Avondale Global Gateway. The 254-acre global logistics hub along the Mississippi River will allow the Port to reach new heights, attract good-paying jobs, be more competitive in traditional international trade and focus on the new frontier of renewable energy development. PortSL’s Board of Commissioners and Staff have created a culture that nurtures growth and embraces concepts and ideas that equip the Port to thrive in an evolving marketplace and solidify Port of South Louisiana as A BETTER WAY TO CARGO.