City Grill

John Basilica Jr.
Gulf Coast District Leader and Vice President
HNTB Corp.

The construction industry in Lake Charles is experiencing one of the fastest growth rates for industrial construction, according to Basilica.

He adds that those growth rates are high not only when compared with rates from across the state of Louisiana, but also when compared with growth throughout the rest of the country.

He credits that activity in large measure to the ample supply of low-priced natural gas, which has been behind a surge in the number of LNG export facilities either being planned or under construction in the region.

“For perspective, of the nearly $180 billion in projects announced statewide, $125 billion are in southwest Louisiana alone,” Basilica says.

In addition to the growth currently seen in the industrial sector, Lake Charles is poised to see expansion in several other market sectors, including port activity, he says.

“Job growth is expected to continue for the foreseeable future as some major projects come online and others break ground,” Basilica says.