Industrial landmark reaches a turning point for local jobs
The hulking footprint of the former General Motors plant on Shreveport’s west side — idle since the automaker closed the facility 14 years ago — is officially 100% occupied for the first time since its shuttering. Industrial Realty Group, which owns the 3.5 million-square-foot complex now called Shreveport Business Park, said global energy and infrastructure company SLB has expanded to occupy roughly 3.1 million square feet of the site.
That growth follows a series of investments and leasing deals that have gradually repurposed the plant’s vast assembly lines and warehouse space into facilities for data-center equipment, logistics and vehicle distribution. SLB’s work at the park centers on building modular systems used in data-center construction, including power distribution and cooling equipment — a sector company officials say is growing rapidly.
"It's an industry that's growing rapidly, and we're here to capitalize on that growth,"
Alongside SLB, the site houses other major tenants: the U.S. Postal Service operates a mail-sorting facility, and Hyundai Glovis maintains a vehicle finishing operation that prepares Kia and Hyundai cars for regional dealerships. Industrial Realty Group projects that by 2027, roughly 1,400 full-time employees will work at the park, with the majority employed by SLB.
What this means for Shreveport
For a city that lost one of its largest employers when GM closed the plant in 2012, the shift to full occupancy is a milestone in long-running efforts to diversify Shreveport’s industrial base. The repurposing into data-center support and logistics reflects broader statewide and national trends: companies that supply cloud and data infrastructure, along with distribution and finishing services for automakers, are seeking large, adaptable footprints and lower-cost operating regions.
- SLB expanded its footprint to approximately 3.1 million sq. ft. at the park.
- Industrial Realty Group expects about 1,400 jobs on-site by 2027.
- Other tenants include the U.S. Postal Service and Hyundai Glovis.
Officials with Louisiana Economic Development were in Shreveport as recently as December to highlight SLB’s additional investments and plans to grow headcount by roughly 600 new employees on top of an existing roster of 660. That announcement reflected a sustained push by state and local leaders to attract advanced industrial users and reuse the GM plant’s scale and amenities.
| Tenant | Function | Approx. Space |
|---|---|---|
| SLB | Modular data-center power and cooling equipment | ~3.1M sq. ft. |
| U.S. Postal Service | Mail sorting facility | Undisclosed |
| Hyundai Glovis | Vehicle finishing (Kia/Hyundai) | Undisclosed |
Redevelopment has not been without fits and starts. Local leaders and developers have said repeatedly that transforming a site of this size would take time, patience and a specific kind of tenant that could use large contiguous floorplates. Industrial Realty Group’s president acknowledged the slow pace but framed the outcome as a payoff for persistence: redeveloping the former auto plant into a cluster of logistics and industrial-support businesses that tap into statewide growth areas.
For Shreveport residents, the immediate effects will be employment opportunities tied to manufacturing-adjacent work, logistics and facility support. Longer term, the success of this redevelopment could strengthen the city’s pitch to similar users that need big, adaptable spaces and a workforce within reach of regional transportation links.
As the property moves from vacancy to full operation, the next chapter for the old GM site will be how those jobs translate into sustained local hiring, training partnerships and secondary economic activity in nearby neighborhoods — measures that will determine whether this milestone becomes a lasting win for Shreveport’s economy.
