A new cold storage terminal opens at the Port of New Orleans. It's the largest one of its kind in North America and is expected to bring in millions of dollars of new business to the state.
It's 142,000 square feet, and can hold 38 million pounds of frozen poultry and meat. But the New Orleans Cold Storage facility at the Henry Clay Avenue Wharf almost didn't get built here.
Mark Blanchard, CEO of New Orleans Cold Storage, explains, "Hurricane Katrina caused over $12 million in property damage to our three facilities in New Orleans."
Despite being lured by other states, the company chose to stay in New Orleans and open this $40 million terminal.
The facility contains three freezers that are all kept at 15 degrees below zero. The frigid temperatures help to blast freeze the food, which is a new technology.
Governor Bobby Jindal thinks the new facility will entice more businesses to use the port and spend their money here.
Jindal explained, "This will help poultry companies, this will help pork and a number of agricultural companies who want to export through our port, including those that raise their products in Louisiana as well as other companies."
The governor says the cold storage will bring in an additional $126 million a year to the city and bring new jobs. "This project will create 125 new jobs while also keeping 105 cold storage jobs, right here in the greater New Orleans area," Jindal said.
But the facility won't just benefit the City of New Orleans.
Commissioner Mike Strain with Louisiana's Department of Agriculture and Forestry explains, "Agriculture has grown 27 percent in the last two years. Louisiana agriculture, we've increased our exports 18 percent. It's the largest industry in the state."
Strain says the industry as a whole, will continue to grow, now that there's such a large cold storage facility at the port for companies to use.
And despite its massive size, the terminal uses some of the latest environmental technology to reduce energy costs and increase efficiency.
