brandRUSSO Honored as 2024 Louisiana Growth Leader
For outstanding contributions to the local community and state, Louisiana Economic Development (LED) honored brandRUSSO as a 2024 Louisiana Growth Leader at the seventh annual Spotlight Louisiana event on April 11th, 2024 held at the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center. As an Honored Leader, brandRUSSO will join an accomplished group of Louisiana businesses under the LED Growth Network.
Through this esteemed network, brandRUSSO will continue to have access to strategic business resources that benefit both the organization and state of Louisiana. Among these are customized leadership retreats, strategic research, networking, peer learning, and mentorship opportunities as well as additional technical assistance with the goal of accelerating the growth of Louisiana’s economy.
Louisiana Growth Leaders are selected by a statewide panel of economic development professionals that evaluate applications on a wide variety of criteria including growth, strategy, innovation, philanthropy, leadership, and company culture.
The following are brandRUSSO’s key aspects that influenced its selection:
- CEO founded Brand State U, an online branding community serving smaller companies.
- Donated $150K to the Ragin’ Cajun Athletic Foundation (RCAF).
- Supported Healing House for the past 10 years.
- Completed a 3,000- square- foot expansion to their downtown office in Lafayette, LA.
“These are different kinds of businesses from different parts of the state, but they share one thing in common: they have all gone above and beyond, both as business owners and community leaders,” Gov. Jeff Landry said. “I congratulate our honorees and encourage everyone to learn more about the impact these business leaders are having on our economy. They are role models for our future economic success.”
“One of my top priorities as LED Secretary is to ensure we are shining a spotlight on the many assets Louisiana has as well as our business success stories,” LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois said. “This dynamic group is a true representation of the outstanding products and services our great state has to offer. Tonight’s awardees collectively generated more than $72 million in sales in 2022 to external markets beyond Louisiana, representing immense new wealth creation and opportunity for our state.”
“We are truly honored to receive the Louisiana Growth Leaders Award.,” said Jaci Russo, PCM, Co-Founder and CEO of brandRUSSO. “This recognition is a testament to the unwavering dedication of the entire brandRUSSO team and our commitment to both business excellence and community impact. Being acknowledged in the company of such esteemed leaders is both humbling and motivating. We are grateful for this prestigious honor and excited to continue contributing to Louisiana’s growth and success.”
More information about brandRUSSO can be found in the online publication – Louisiana’s Entrepreneurial Engine (2024).
About the LED Growth Network
Launched in 2017, the LED Growth Network provides continued access to strategic business resources and growth opportunities including peer-to-peer learning, strategic information, leadership development, mentorship and more. The Network is constantly growing both in terms of new companies and additional resources designed to accelerate growth. The Network currently consists of about 700 companies that represent more than 22,700 full time equivalent employees and generate over $4.2 billion in annual sales. For more information, contact Christopher Cassagne at 225-342-5882 or email Christopher.Cassagne@la.gov.
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brandRUSSO was established in 2001 by Jaci and Michael Russo, representing a global portfolio of B2B clients in the professional services and manufacturing industries. As a strategic branding agency, we believe in the promise behind the brand, and that by changing the conversation we can inspire and motivate consumer behavior.
