The 1,800 corporate and individual members of World Trade Center New Orleans look forward with great anticipation to welcoming you to our city in October for "Trade and All That Jazz." We appreciate the WTCA's selection of New Orleans as the site of this year's General Assembly and are also proud that our WTC organization, which was founded in 1943, was the first of what are today nearly 300 World Trade Centers in 89 countries. New Orleans and the State of Louisiana have played a vital role in the history of the United States and the development of its global trade. With the lower Mississippi River serving as a major gateway to and from the world at large for more that 30 states in the heartland of this country, Louisiana's deepwater port system is one of the world's largest port complexes in total waterborne commerce. This port system handles vessels and shipments of all types and has six Class One railway lines and a far-reaching Interstate highway network serving it, in addition to extensive river barge traffic and a well-situated airport. Louisiana is rich in oil and gas, forestry, agricultural, seafood and other resources. Culture and tourism is of course another mainstay of the economy, as you will see, hear, and taste during the General Assembly. The New Orleans area is now in the midst of a multi-billion-dollar rebuilding and economic recovery program in the aftermath of two devastating hurricanes in late-2005, Katrina and Rita. The unprecedented level of construction of housing, commercial properties, and infrastructure now underway offers outstanding investment and trade opportunities to companies throughout the world. We therefore encourage you to sign up for our Matchmaking Program during the General Assembly and to contact us starting immediately regarding any special business interests that you wish to pursue. We stand ready to assist you in every way possible. For more information about the wide range of opportunities to do business in Louisiana, please access the WTC's 1st Stop for International Business Services site. And for more information about the trade programs, facilities, and services offered by WTC New Orleans, please go to our home page. Again, we look forward to greeting you in October and to having you enjoy everything that our exciting city has to offer. Sincerely,
J. Dwight LeBlanc, Jr. |
