Louisiana Marching in Saints Parade

Louisiana Economic Development is maximizing the positive impact of the New Orleans Saints’ appearance in the Super Bowl by taking out full-page ads in major newspapers portraying the Saints as a metaphor for other good things happening in the state.

“This is really a huge win for our state, not just for the Saints and fans that supported them for so long, but it is a big economic win for the state of Louisiana as well and we’re really working hard to take as much advantage of that as we can to use this as a tool for our economic development efforts,” Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret told WWLTV.com, the web outlet for a local TV station.

Moret made the statement after proofing national print ads that will run this week in this week in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and other major newspapers. The Louisiana ED Secretary says the Saints Super Bowl bid couldn’t come at a better time. Like the Saints, Louisiana has a compelling story to tell about rebirth and hard work, he noted.

“Talk about our state having gone from worst to best in state governmental ethics laws,” said Moret. “Talk about Louisiana having received it’s highest ranking ever in Forbes ‘Best States For Business,’ now ranked eighth best in the country for economic growth outlook, a state that really is making some serious reforms.”

In the months after Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans in 2005, there was a lot of speculation that the Saints might relocate from the Crescent City. However, the Superdome was refurbished and the Louisiana state legislature eventually approved a deal to keep the football team in the Superdome in New Orleans through 2025. Moret says that investment is now paying off for the rest of the state.

“There’s no question that agreement has been benefit, not only to New Orleans, but really to our whole state,” Moret told WWLTV.com. “Boy, aren’t we glad we got that deal done before the success of this season because it might have been a little more difficult to do at this point.”

Secretary Moret also revealed that his department has a special treat in store for prospects interested in bringing jobs to Louisiana: the Saints organization has agreed to supply the economic development group with Super Bowl souvenirs and team gear.

No doubt, Secretary Moret and his colleagues are hoping that they can add some “Super Bowl Champion” hats to this booty after Sunday’s game.