One such ripple is the North Baton Rouge Industrial Training Initiative (NBRITI). Backed by ExxonMobil, the training program teaches local students critical skills, such as welding or pipe fitting, that can then help them secure well-paid jobs at ExxonMobil, one of its contractors, or with one of the other area plants. In fact, about 85 percent of NBRITI graduates are hired after completing the year-long training.
ExxonMobil and Baton Rouge’s petrochemical industry also fuel opportunities for local businesses, big and small. Take Cou-Yon’s, a restaurant operating a few blocks from the ExxonMobil plant. That proximity pays big dividends as hundreds of plant workers make Cou-Yon’s their daily lunch spot.
Whether it be an initiative like NBRITI or an eatery like Cou-Yon’s, the economic benefits spurred by Baton Rouge’s thriving petrochemical industry ripple across the city, providing many of its residents with life-changing opportunities.
