Greenup Cajun JV, LLC, a Black-owned firm, has been awarded a $102.5 million construction contract to construct hurricane protection structures and move levees and drainage canals in Louisiana.
The contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District. The work will be done in New Orleans’ Plaquemines Parish.
Based in Gonzales, Louisiana, Greenup Industries specializes in maintenance services to refinery and industrial companies. Led by its president Rodney Greenup, the company was founded in 2012. It is one of few Black-owned businesses in the oil and gas industry, according to its Crunchbase profile. A New Orleans native, Greenup began his career as a mechanical engineer and project manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, according to Blacknews.com.
“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,” Rodney Greenup said in a statement. 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.
Sixty-four percent of Greenup Cajun’s non-seasonal employees identify as Black or African-American. The company is certified as a minority-owned business by the National Minority Supplier Diversity Council and has operations in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama. According to Greenup, the company soon will expand to Florida.
Greenup Cajun won the contract by presenting 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,” Black Enterprise reported.
The company has become a leading construction contractor and provider of maintenance and third-party procurement services in the past decade.
“We’re continuing to grow and diversify,” said 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 — presently making up 26 percent of employees — at its company.
Under the project, Greenup Cajun will be responsible for clearing, grubbing, excavating new drainage canals, placing culverts and drainage structures, building new T-walls and levee ramp crossings and placing levee embankments, geotextile work, turf establishment and surfacing.
The project, estimated at $102,452,461.00, has an expected completion date of Nov. 30, 2026.
