A $19-million expansion of its corporate headquarters in Lafayette, LA by Schumacher Group will yield some 600 new jobs, expansion of office space, a new training center and additional technology enhancements for the company over the next five years, Gov. Bobby Jindal has announced.
“This investment in new jobs, new facilities and state-of-the-art technology by Schumacher Group represents the growing recognition by companies that not only is Louisiana a great place in which to do business, it’s a great place to establish and expand a corporate headquarters,” said Gov. Jindal. “We view the remarkable growth of Schumacher Group and its innovative operations in the healthcare industry as a perfect example of how businesses and the state can work together to create outstanding employment opportunities for future generations of Louisiana residents. This is also a great example of the value of making business retention and expansion our top economic development priority.”
The Louisiana Economic Development Department, with project initiation and strong urging from the Lafayette Economic Development Authority, is delivering a customized incentive package that includes a grant to reimburse 50 percent of the cost of construction of a Schumacher Group facility, up to a maximum state contribution of $9 million. Schumacher Group will also receive hiring and training assistance from LED’s Louisiana FastStart™ program, which has been ranked as the best state workforce solution in the nation by Business Facilities magazine. In addition, the company is expected to utilize Louisiana’s Quality Jobs program, as well as the state’s recently enhanced Digital Interactive Media & Software Tax Credit.
LED estimates the corporate headquarters expansion will generate, over the next 10 years, an additional $29.5 million in new state tax revenue and $10 million in new local tax revenue.
Schumacher Group CEO William “Kip” Schumacher expressed special thanks to Governor Jindal, LED Secretary Stephen Moret, LEDA President and CEO Gregg Gothreaux, FastStart executive Jeff Lynn and numerous others, stressing the significance of their efforts in building upon SG growth strategies in service to patient care and health care impact.
“It’s exciting to have this opportunity to expand in Louisiana and grow into other business lines that further impact patient care,” said Dr. Schumacher, who founded the company in 1994 in Opelousas, La. “For the past 17 years, we made the decision to have our corporate base in Louisiana because of the talent, drive and culture of the people, which so define our success. We’re now an international company, but we’re committed to Louisiana as our home base. This state initiative just makes that commitment even stronger.”
Dr. Schumacher stressed a continued commitment to company presence in numerous regional offices, closest to hospital client communities and the patients they serve. “This expands Schumacher Group’s support base for enhanced service to those outlying areas and communities, while also allowing us to move more efficiently and effectively on impacting health care with entry in additional points of the patient care continuum,” he commented. “Our focus has always been and will always be on the patient, who doesn’t just have his or her health tended to in emergency rooms, which remains our core business.”
Schumacher Group, which employs more than 1,200 in 24 states, manages emergency medical services for more than 180 hospitals and uses technology to integrate those services with the hospitals’ other operations. Schumacher also contracts with more than 2,500 physicians in a business model that’s patient-driven and emphasizes higher-quality patient outcomes.
In addition to creating 600 new jobs by 2016, Schumacher Group will retain 389 existing jobs in Lafayette. LED estimates the company’s headquarters expansion will result in 784 new indirect jobs in the surrounding Acadiana Region, which means the total impact of the expansion will be nearly 1,400 new jobs in Acadiana over the next five years.
“Since day one, our top economic development priority has been working to retain and expand Louisiana’s existing businesses,” said Moret. “Today’s announcement represents a huge step forward for a leading, innovative company that started in Louisiana and has become a national leader in its industry. Most importantly, this announcement means that nearly 1,400 new jobs will be created in Acadiana over the next five years. Louisiana’s recently enhanced Digital Media & Software Tax Credit also will assist Schumacher Group with continuing to advance its integrated technology solutions that help improve healthcare outcomes and efficiency.”
“We are excited that The Schumacher Group has chosen to grow in Lafayette, furthering the economic prosperity and diversification of our region,” said Gregg Gothreaux, president and CEO of the Lafayette Economic Development Authority. “When you combine the average yearly economic impact of over $250 million, the number of jobs and the average wage per job, this is the most significant project for Lafayette and Acadiana in more than a decade. The impact of Schumacher Group cannot be overstated — it is a local business that has grown beyond our borders and is a success on the national and international stage.”