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​Taylor Porter Partner Jim Ellis, who serves as Chair of the BRAC Building Committee and also as a member of the BRAC executive committee, is featured in the Baton Rouge Area Chamber August Investor Spotlight as the economic development organization highlights an investor each month. BRAC is an economic development engine in the nine-parish Baton Rouge Area that includes small businesses, midsize firms, large industry and entrepreneurial startups, as well as other individuals and organizations.

Beginning in 2005, Ellis served as BRAC General Counsel and then had the honor of serving as Chairman of the Board of BRAC in 2008. He also served as a board member and Chairman of FuturePAC, BRAC’s political action committee. Since 2005, he has served on the BRAC Board and Executive Committee and currently serves as Chair of the BRAC Building Committee. The Building Committee’s most recent initiative is the fundraising, redesign, and expansion of BRAC’s downtown headquarters into the Center for Economic Development ($3.5 million; 11,000 square feet). "Thirteen years ago, BRAC reinvented itself into a professional and highly effective economic development organization with a regional footprint, and the transformation of the office space is a major step in BRAC’s  continuing evolution. BRAC already has the reputation for being a dynamic economic development organization, but BRAC’s new headquarters will be a powerful visual statement to visiting business leaders that BRAC also looks like who we say we are. It is very exciting times for our organization," said Ellis.

​Below is the BRAC August Investor Spotlight on Ellis:

August Investor Spotlight: Meet Jim Ellis

Occupation: Partner
Organization: Taylor Porter
BRAC Involvement: current BRAC Building Committee Chair, 2008 Board Chair, previous FuturePAC Chair

What does your organization do?

Founded in 1912 in Baton Rouge, Taylor Porter is one of the oldest and largest law firms in Louisiana. Representing a diverse range of local, regional, and national corporate clients, Taylor Porter deals in the most complex transactions and litigation across a variety of practice areas and industries.  

What are some advantages of being located/doing business in the Capital Region?

Our Capital Region has become a focus for economic development and expansion over the last decade. Not only is it the site of state government and state agencies, as well as home to the state’s major educational institutions, but it also serves as the major industrial, petrochemical, medical, research, and growing technology center of Louisiana. 

Why did you decide to invest in BRAC?

From former President and CEO Stephen Moret to current President and CEO Adam Knapp, BRAC has put together influential and committed leaders who are interested in not only economic development and business expansion in the Capital Region, but also in improving cultural and lifestyle opportunities for residents across the region. BRAC’s Canvas trips are a great example of BRAC’s vision, in that these trips provide participants with a new lens to look through when they return to Baton Rouge and see new possibilities for our region. BRAC has instilled a sense of “can do” that did not exist in our region fifteen years ago.   

What would you say to companies contemplating joining BRAC?

BRAC’s record speaks for itself. BRAC is fully committed to providing tremendous value for companies to not only network with other businesses and to participate in planning strategies for economic expansion, but also to be a part of the joint effort that has a hand in creating a better community and region in all aspects of life. That has been the value of BRAC. 

What do you anticipate for your company in the next five years? For the Capital Region?

Taylor Porter is proud to have founded its roots in downtown Baton Rouge in 1912, and our attorneys and dedicated staff have continued a long, respectable tradition of providing quality legal service for 106 years. We remain committed to furthering the economic development of our city into the future. Our firm has parlayed its own progress and economic development into reinvestment in our city and our community. Louisiana’s most historic law firm spends every day blending the old with the new, and that reinvestment can be seen in Taylor Porter’s relocation to its new offices in the Chase Building North Tower in 2016. Featuring three floors of offices, the new space also boasts rooftop gardens on the eighth-floor river terrace. The new outdoor space has allowed our firm to host outside events that capture the city’s breathtaking views of the Capitol and the Mississippi River. We are excited about the future of Baton Rouge, and heavily committed to our city’s continued progress moving forward, working with economic development agencies and industry groups, to encourage new businesses to move to our Capital Region, and existing businesses to expand and re-invest in Baton Rouge, to sustain the economic viability of our diverse business climate.