[LSU NEWS]

The Louisiana Business & Technology Center, an integral part of LSU’s E. J. Ourso College of Business, has received national recognition once again through its Incubator On Wheels Program.

The Economic Development Administration recognized the LBTC’s Incubator On Wheels Program as a finalist for its Excellence in Economic Development Awards 2007 in the category of Excellence in Economic Adjustment Strategies.

“We were one of the top three participants in this category,” LBTC Executive Director Charles D’Agostino said. “This was a nationwide competition, and again this program has shown how highly regarded it is outside of our local community.”

Utilizing the Mobile Classroom as its centerpiece, the Incubator On Wheels Program is focused on spurring economic development in Louisiana’s rural parishes and Louisiana businesses affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The Mobile Classroom, a custom-designed semi-trailer that has been retrofitted with state-of-the-art technology to house seminars and workshops, is currently in the second year of a three-year tour of Louisiana’s parishes most heavily impacted by the storms.

For information regarding the areas the Mobile Classroom will be visiting in the future, contact Allison Sheffield via e-mail asheff1@lsu.edu or call 225-578-7555. Information is also available online at www.bus.lsu.edu/centers/lbtc/.