Sun Furniture building is getting a new lease on life and more in Shreveport business news

Makenzie Boucher, Shreveport Times
·3 min read

Hello, Shreveport. In the news this week, SWEPCO collaborated with Shreveport Green and EPRI to create the first indoor agriculture facility and rental prices have taken a steep increase. Keep reading to find out more about this week's business news.

Indoor farming? SWEPCO uses new tech for year-round growth

Southwestern Electric Power Company has collaborated with Shreveport Green and EPRI to create the first indoor agriculture facility that utilizes new technology to grow nutritious food year-round.

The Urban Farm on Sprague Street will feature a controlled environment agriculture farm made from a custom shipping container equipped with LED lighting, high efficient HVAC system, recirculating water pumps, a dehumidification system and sensors.

The indoor agriculture facility will allow for year-round local production of crops regardless of outdoor conditions.

Shreveport building is getting a revamp

The Sun Furniture building is now vacant on Texas Avenue in downtown Shreveport.
The Sun Furniture building is now vacant on Texas Avenue in downtown Shreveport.

SporTran has begun phase one of demolition and rehabilitation plans for the Sun Furniture building.

The building on the corner of Murphy Street and Texas Avenue is a building that has served Shreveport for over 120 years as a car dealership, furniture store, grocery store and drug store.

Now SporTran is giving this building a new lease on life with a SporTran Resource Center, which will be home to a transit mall, employee wellness center, a safety training facility, a public food court and more.

To learn more about this building's revamp, click here.

David Raines Community Health Center reopens after renovations

(Center left) David Raines Community Health Center board president Yolanda Coleman, Shreveport mayor Adrian Perkins, and CEO Willie C. White III cut the red ribbon during the grand reopening ceremony of the health center Thursday July 21, 2022.
(Center left) David Raines Community Health Center board president Yolanda Coleman, Shreveport mayor Adrian Perkins, and CEO Willie C. White III cut the red ribbon during the grand reopening ceremony of the health center Thursday July 21, 2022.

David Raines Community Health Center opened its doors officially with a grand ribbon cutting after being closed for several months for renovations.

David Raines is a federally qualified health center for underserved, low-income and insured residents. For over 50 years David Raines has been offering access to healthcare in the Shreveport-Bossier area.

The newly renovated facility will provide services such as family medicine, dental, pediatric and WIC.

How high is the rent in Shreveport?

A rent sign.
A rent sign.

The rental market right now has seen a steep increase in pricing. Prices have increased 20% from just two years ago.

This increase is in response to the historic high demand for rental housing. Around 44 million households across America have opted to rent.

In a recent report done by WalletHub Shreveport ranked 176 out of 182 for 2022's Best and Worst places to rent in America.

To learn more about the rental market in Shreveport, click here.

Bossier Chamber celebrates the 25th anniversary of family-owned business

Advance Awards & Gifts owners Larry and Terri Hensley with Bossier City Mayor Tommy Chandler during the Bossier Chamber of Commerce 25 year celebration.
Advance Awards & Gifts owners Larry and Terri Hensley with Bossier City Mayor Tommy Chandler during the Bossier Chamber of Commerce 25 year celebration.

A Bossier City family-owned business celebrated it's 25th anniversary on Monday.

In 1996, Terri Hensley and her husband Larry opened Advance Awards and Gifts,  a full-service awards and promotional products company.

The Bossier Chamber hosted a ribbon cutting for Advance's anniversary. In attendance was Bossier City Mayor Tommy Chandler, Shreveport Chamber of Commerce and members of the community.

New partnership in Shreveport aims to slow drivers down

Soon, the city of Shreveport will be able to issue tickets for those caught speeding in a school zone without an officer being present.

With school starting in less than two weeks several Shreveport schools will be taking part in the debut school zone camera installation. These cameras are in partnership with the City of Shreveport and Blue Line Solutions, a traffic safety company founded by veteran police officers who blended their 106 years of total expertise to create a way to save lives.

These cameras will roll out on August 3, which is the first day of school for elementary in Caddo Parish.

To learn which school zones will be effected, click here.

Be on the lookout for Thursday and Sunday for Life in the 318 and The 318 to catch up on all the best stories you might have missed.

Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: David Raines reopens after renovation and more in Shreveport business