By Bill McCollum
The 1970s were Shreveport’s glory days. The local economy was thriving, supported by the oil & gas industry and a diversified manufacturing base. Downtown was vibrant. Shreveport-Barksdale Highway was a major open-air retail zone. Pierremont, St. Vincent, and Southpark Malls were fully occupied. There were numerous family-friendly activities and venues.
The city built, expanded, and annexed on the premise of continued growth. Instead, what followed were a regional oil bust and manufacturing offshoring. The high-paying jobs and skilled workers left. The taxpayer base contracted. Infrastructure decayed.
Fast forward to today. Shreveport’s population, having peaked in 1980, remains on a downward trajectory. How do we break the cycle? Jobs. Jobs attract people. People spend, invest, and start more businesses. Business formations create more jobs. The formula is proven.
Is Shreveport business friendly? Begin by asking if Louisiana is business friendly. Does the State offer what it takes to attract and retain large employers? Consider the following: tax structure, legal and regulatory climate, infrastructure, natural resources, higher education. For Shreveport, specifically, consider cost of living, workforce, public education, crime, and overall quality of life.
By comparison, we are bordered by one of the fastest growing and most pro-business states in the nation: Texas. (Over 200 major companies have relocated to Texas since 2020.) Arkansas is also growing, and it has been ranked by CNBC as the most improved state for business in 2026.
What do our Ark-LA-Tex neighbors, “Don’t Mess with Texas” and “The Natural State,” have in common? Any traveler can tell you: they are visibly clean, and their roads are well-maintained compared to NW Louisiana. Unfortunately, these first impressions are making lasting impressions on people and businesses who might otherwise consider relocating here.
Shreveport sits at the intersection of I-20 and I-49. We have a regional airport, a railway hub, and a river port. The high volume of commercial traffic puts heavy stress on our inner-city roadways. The cumulative impacts of deferred maintenance and neglect become readily apparent.
Visitors see (and feel) a marked difference in road surface quality. (God forbid they drive LA 3132!) And…they see a LOT of trash, debris, and overgrowth along the roadsides and in the medians. They are jarred by the contrasts. In turn, they negatively judge us and our city.
Last Saturday I recruited my first son-in-law for a drive-along. (Yes, I now have two!) We traveled Hwy 1, LA 3132, I-49, I-20, to downtown, to SHV - the major arteries and gateways into our city. He awakened.
You see, the problem has become so acute, pervasive, and incessant that we have become desensitized to it, and/or we have succumbed to apathy. Assuming we want to solve this, the first step is…Open Your Eyes!
Bill McCollum is an investment advisor representative of Wingo Asset Management, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor.
