Minority-Owned, Black-Led Firm Awarded $102.5 Million Levee and Drainage Canal Relocation Project in Louisiana

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District, has awarded Greenup Cajun JV, LLC a $102.5 million dollar construction contract to build hurricane protection structures and move levees and drainage canals in Louisiana’s Plaquemines Parish. The company is minority-owned with a number of African American men and women in leadership roles. In addition, 64 percent of their non-seasonal employees identify as Black or African American.

Greenup Cajun JV, LLC, presented the lowest bid of four for the “New Orleans to Venice [first] lift levee and drainage canal relocation project, La Reussite to Myrtle Grove, Plaquemines Parish.” The project will consist of clearing, grubbing, excavating new drainage canals, placing culverts and drainage structures, building new T-walls and levee ramp crossings, placing levee embankments, geotextile work, turf establishment and surfacing. The estimated cost of the project is $102,452,461.00. The project has an expected completion date of Nov. 30, 2026.

“We are thrilled to be working with Cajun Industries on this project and look forward to doing all we can to provide storm and hurricane protection to Louisiana,” Greenup says. Greenup is adept at handling large-scale projects for the public good. From refurbished roads and bridges to industrial construction and maintenance, Louisiana-based Greenup Industries is behind countless projects across the Gulf South that point to the region’s growth and vibrancy.

The company has expanded by leaps and bounds since its founding in 2012, becoming a leading construction contractor and provider of maintenance and third-party procurement services. Sixty-four percent of Greenup Industries’ non-seasonal employees are of African American descent or identify as Black, and Greenup is certified as a minority-owned business by the National Minority Supplier Diversity Council (NMSDC). With operations in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama, Greenup Industries is poised for expansion into Florida soon, says founder and chief executive officer Rodney Greenup, a New Orleans native who began his career as a mechanical engineer and project manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“We’re continuing to grow and diversify,” says Greenup.

“There’s a lot of growth potential and work to be done throughout the region.” A strong proponent of women in construction, Greenup Industries is always seeking to grow the number of women at their company, presently 26 percent of employees.

This article first appeared on Blacknews.com.