34 | Business World Magazine |
April 2014
from the state to build an on-site structure
that would unite the port’s staff of 70 under
one roof. Several more employees are hired
by the port on a contract basis for various
tasks, and each of the companies with op-
erations within the port’s jurisdiction has its
own complement of workers.
In addition to assorted day-to-day du-
ties, a sizable part of Aucoin’s role revolves
around attracting new businesses and indus-
tries to the facility, and his arsenal of incen-
tives includes provision of tax-free bonds, as-
sistance in building docks, security and fire
protection – the port operates three fire/
rescue boats up and down its section of the
river – and general caretaking for the tenant
companies.
“We’ve got prospects coming in every
week because of the low price of natural gas
and the sites that we still have available with-
in our district right on the Mississippi Riv-
er,” he said. “That’s highly attractive with the
state incentives, the river and the low price
of natural gas. We’re seeing the biggest boom
that we’ve seen since the ’60s.”
Aucoin arrived as executive director
about two-thirds of the way through 2013,
which was a banner year for the port and
