Louisiana Economic Development and its partners honored dozens of small business leaders for their community contributions and success on Thursday at the state's annual Spotlight Louisiana award ceremony.

"We're here because we believe in positioning all of Louisiana to win, and at the heart of that vision is truly you," LED Secretary Susan Bourgeois told attendees during the event in Baton Rouge. "It's our entrepreneurs, our small businesses, our fearless founders. You are the bedrock of our communities, and you are the engine of the Louisiana economy."

Small businesses employ nearly half of Louisiana's workforce and generate more than $5 billion in sales annually, Bourgeois said.

The Spotlight awards are the marquee event of the Louisiana Growth Network, a division of LED formerly cal

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