LSUS business student named state liaison for Sister Cities International

LSUS business student named state liaison for Sister Cities International

SHREVEPORT - Tory McCoy loves Shreveport.

He also wants to see the city "live up to its potential" and become the growing economic hub that holds onto its current residents and attracts new ones.

The LSUS business student will be doing his part as the new state liaison for Sister Cities International, a Washington D.C.-based organization that fosters global partnerships between communities around the world.

"We have all the things we need to have a thriving economy," McCoy said. "You want infrastructure? You want education? You want healthcare? We have all that.

"I believe in Shreveport, and I believe it can be what I always hoped it would be."

McCoy, who accepted the position earlier this month, hopes he can help Shreveport forge relationships near and far that could result in economic and cultural exchange.

New Orleans is the only other Louisiana city with membership in the organization, and the Cresent City has 13 partnerships with cities like Orleans, France; Jeonju, South Korea; Havana, Cuba; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Shreveport? It doesn't have any global partnerships.

"I've heard stories of international companies that were interested in relocating to Shreveport, but there wasn't any kind of direct contact person on the ground," McCoy said. "For example, there was an IT company from India that expressed interest, but they ended up relocating to Monroe.

"I don't want my city to miss opportunities like that anymore."

This kind of experience fits with McCoy's management major with a concentration in international business and membership in LSUS's International Student Association.

McCoy is on track to finish his degree in May, something the 37-year-old said will improve his marketability in the economy.

"I've done a little bit of everything - I've driven trucks, managed properties, served as a CPR instructor, got my real estate license," McCoy said. "I started at Bossier Parish Community College and ended up getting a degree as a computer network specialist from Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College, but there wasn't a job in that field at that time.

"Something was missing, and it's that four-year credential. It represents sticktoitiveness and dedicating yourself to a cause. I've loved every minute of being a student here at LSUS."

So much so that people he talked to about his research into the economic history of Shreveport assumed the project was a class assignment.

But it wasn't - the Green Oaks graduate just wanted to understand his city better and where opportunities for growth existed.

Oil and gas and manufacturing declines starting in the 1980s have been key drivers of population loss for the city, whose population reached nearly 207,000 in 1980 but was down to 187,000 in 2020 and is estimated around 174,000 today.

McCoy's first task as a state liaison is spreading the word throughout the city that this association with Sister Cities International exists.

The next step is to organize a forum to identify and promote Shreveport's best qualities, something he hopes will be the beginning of connecting Shreveport with more than 500 partner cities here in the U.S. and eventually with numerous partners around the world.