Southwest Louisiana: Open for Business L ake Charles, LA – Within days of Hurricane Rita, the Chamber SWLA (the Southwest Louisiana's regional chamber) worked with the Southwest Louisiana Partnership for Economic Development as well as local, state and federal departments to open the Business Recovery Assistance Center in Lake Charles to serve all Southwest Louisiana businesses. During those first few days in operation, the Center handled over 2,000 calls and 1,200 walk-ins assisting with 360 grant applications and 350 SBA loans.    After patching those initial wounds, the region pulled together in an unprecedented manner providing assistance, advice and workshops for our business community. Within months, life had returned to a semblance of normalcy and the businesses, organizations and government systems of Southwest Louisiana got back to business. The Basics of Southwest Louisiana    Credited by many as having the best fishing and hunting conditions in the South, Southwest Louisiana is also quickly becoming a player in the global and national economy.    With its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, Southwest Louisiana serves as the home base for our vigorous petrochemical industry and several active ports including the Port of Lake Charles, which is the 12th largest deep-water port in the nation, the West-Calcasieu Port, East Cameron Port and Vinton Port. With three liquefied natural gas pipelines in the works for completion over the next 3 years, what happens around the coast communities of Southwest Louisiana keeps the lights on in Chicago and the rest of our nation!    Another burgeoning industry in Southwest Louisiana is our aerospace industry thanks in large part to the Lake Charles Regional Airport, servicing the air travel needs of our 285,000 residents, and the Chennault International Airport Authority. Chennault International Airpark Authority, servicing such industry players such as Northrop Grumman, EADS Aeroframe Services, and Louisiana Millwork, plays a major role within the economy of Southwest Louisiana with its 10,000 feet of runways, capability of handling most commercial aircraft, and 800 acres of available sites with access to rail, road and water to best access the rest of the nation and global market. Both our regional and international airports have foreign trade and enterprise zone designations.    Lake Charles, LA, is also home to the two main workforce development institutions of the region: McNeese State University and Southwest Louisiana Technical Community College. Southwest Louisiana Technical Community College (called SOWELA by locals) offers customized worker training programs in our base industries as well as emerging trends. Over 6000 students have trained in aviation for Boeing, Northrop Grumman and EADS and even more prepare for their futures in the petrochemical industry through SOWELA's Process Technology Department, going on to jobs at Citgo, ConocoPhillips, PPG, and Sasol to name a few. Working Together    The Chamber SWLA, its economic development arm (the Chamber Foundation SWLA), and the Southwest Louisiana Partnership for Economic Development united resources under a new umbrella coalition to strengthen the business recruiting and retention efforts for Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, and Jefferson Davis parishes under the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance. Working together, the five parishes of Southwest Louisiana are taking this time of rebuilding to strengthen our structure and systems to improve the way Southwest Louisiana does business and the future of our region.