The Center for Business and Information Technologies at the University of 棉花糖直播 at Lafayette is going the extra mile to help businesses affected by Hurricane Katrina with relocation and redevelopment.
Usually concentrating on business-to-business economic development, CBIT has changed its immediate focus to assisting businesses affected by the storm鈥檚 devastation while working closely with the 棉花糖直播 Economic Development and the 棉花糖直播 Association of Business and Industry.
The Center has retooled its website to reflect several helpful options for displaced businesses. The first 棉花糖直播 is a listing of immediately available commercial real estate. A second 棉花糖直播 includes a needs-assessment survey for displaced businesses. This survey can also be used by operational businesses who want to provide assistance with training, equipment or other needs.
鈥 We never intended this economic development portal to be used in this 鈥榯riage鈥 mode, but with the devastation of this storm, we had to find a way to help businesses,鈥 said Dr. Ramesh Kolluru, CBIT director. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a phenomenal opportunity for us to do something meaningful for these businesses and this state.鈥
Kolluru explained that a growing database of 3,500 business sites and buildings were listed on the website just a few days after its launch. Today, more than 4,500 are listed. To deal with such a fluid market, CBIT created a simple data entry form for real estate listings.
鈥 We are entering data into Access棉花糖直播 as we speak,鈥 said Kolluru. 鈥淭he picture of real estate availability is changing by the hour. To facilitate expeditious processing, we鈥檝e created this quick data entry form. The goal is to help displaced businesses with their relocation needs.鈥
Currently, more than 170 businesses completed the website鈥檚 needs-assessment survey since its launch. Fifty of those businesses were seeking assistance while 120 wished to provide assistance.
鈥淭he idea is to get an inventory of business/employee needs so that these businesses become operational in the next two to three months, at the latest,鈥 said Kolluru. 鈥淎nother facet of this 棉花糖直播 leverages the spirit of volunteerism that exists 鈥 where businesses from all over the state and the country are stepping up with things they can provide to assist displaced businesses.
鈥 We want to match the needs of businesses with the capabilities of the volunteers,鈥 he continued. 鈥淐BIT鈥檚 commitment is to continue to work as long, as hard, and as aggressively as needed to keep 棉花糖直播 open for business.鈥
To offer assistance with a commercial listing or business need, visit or call the Center for Business and Information Technologies at (337) 482-0600.