St. Charles Parish has a new Director of Economic Development and Tourism as Parish President Matthew Jewell recently appointed Destrehan resident Patrick Beard to the role.
Beard is the successor to Corey Faucheux, who recently retired after 30 years of service.
Beard has over 10 years of experience in the industry, most recently serving as Associate Vice President at Colliers, the world’s third-largest commercial real estate brokerage, where he worked closely with government entities and private industry to drive investment into the Gulf Coast region. Formerly the Maritime-Industrial Asset Manager for the Port of New Orleans, Beard oversaw over 1,000 acres of public industrial land and collaborated with organizations like GNO Inc., Louisiana Economic Development, and Entergy to promote job creation and industrial expansion.
Once the position became open, Beard felt the role would be a natural fit.
“I’ve lived in the parish for a few years and I’ve always known that it’s business-friendly, but also community-oriented,” Beard said. “And when the opportunity came up, that was the first thing I was thinking about – how to be a part of that same kind of trajectory that we’re already on and help grow business and grow the community’s quality of life.”
He said the focus will start with building on the parish’s established strengths.
“We’ll look to continue where we’ve had success, which is in attracting, growing, and retaining our large employers, our big businesses here that have called St. Charles Parish home and have been a part of it for decades,” Beard said. “But also (a goal is to) put a renewed focus on the small businesses and entrepreneurs in the parish who oftentimes live within the parish. They’re a part of the community and they want to see it succeed as well.”
Beard grew up in Metairie, where he lived for his entire life until his oldest of his three children reached school age. He was quite familiar with St. Charles Parish’s school district as his wife Koi was a teacher in the parish for eight years.
“We knew that we always wanted to get our kids into the school system here because the school system is just so phenomenal. That was what drew us here three years ago,” Beard said. “And once you’re here you realize that it’s more than just schools. It’s more than just, ‘Hey, we’re so close to Metairie and Kenner and New Orleans.’ It’s its own community, with its own kind of unique culture that was really attractive once you get here.
He feels his experience makes him well-equipped for his new role.
“I would say one of the key aspects of (what he takes from his work with the Port) is being sure to communicate both with business and with the community. When there’s a void of information, it gets filled. Often times if there was a concern from residents, community members, or businesses, the concern, while well-founded, may not have been seeing the complete picture.
“One of the biggest lessons we could take here is to continually communicate the messaging between residents and businesses that we’re all in this together. We’re all a part of that same community. That was a big lesson I took from the Port.”
He holds both a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Business Administration from the University of New Orleans. Beard taught real estate finance as an adjunct professor at Tulane University and the University of New Orleans.
“Patrick’s background in regional economic development will bolster our ongoing efforts to create new opportunities across our parish,” Jewell said. “We look forward to strengthening connections with business and industry leaders as we work to grow and diversify St. Charles Parish’s economy.”
Beard added that it all starts with maintaining an open line of communication.
“St. Charles Parish economic development means it’s a relationship with the community and a relationship with businesses of all sizes,” Beard said. “We can only help if we’re in communication with you. So if you’ve got any question about growing in the parish, or any reason to say, ‘Man, I’ve got to pick up and leave,’ give us a call and let us see how we can work with you to your benefit and the parish’s.”
