Swyft Fiber is establishing its national headquarters in Metairie and has committed to build more than $1 billion in broadband infrastructure, with roughly 90 percent of the expansion concentrated in Louisiana. Gov. Jeff Landry, the state broadband office ConnectLA, and the company made the announcement November 12.
The company currently employs more than 230 people at an average annual salary of $80,000 and plans to grow to more than 300 employees by the end of 2027. At current pay levels, that would lift total annual payroll from about $18 million to about $24 million. Swyft also works with hundreds of subcontractors across Louisiana.
The headquarters designation follows an existing presence in the parish. Swyft Fiber already has a presence in Jefferson Parish, and we’re proud the company has chosen to grow here and make Metairie its national headquarters, said Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng. The company operates in five states, and Landry noted it could have placed its headquarters anywhere in that footprint.
The $1 billion figure covers Swyft’s existing network, projects funded through ConnectLA’s GUMBO 2.0 program, and additional planned construction. The company serves more than 160,000 homes and businesses today and aims to exceed 500,000 within four years. Most of the new network will be built underground to limit damage from high winds, falling trees, and downed poles during hurricanes. Swyft is backed by Macquarie Asset Management.
Co-founder and CEO Jason Hunt framed the decision around the workforce. Making Metairie our national headquarters says where Swyft’s future is, he said. Most of our team lives and works in Louisiana. Michael Hecht, president and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc., said a national headquarters matters because it brings the executives who decide where to hire, build, and invest.
For the Jefferson Parish office market, the designation adds a growing corporate user at a time when other headquarters decisions have pulled in different directions. Copado established its global headquarters in New Orleans in October, while OnPath Credit Union is moving its headquarters out of Metairie to a 5.5-acre campus in Mandeville. Swyft has not said whether the expanded headquarters will require new or larger space in the parish.
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