How Agen stepped out of the shadows

For several years, the département of Lot-et-Garonne has been running its own affairs. The département is sparsely populated and there has been a brain drain to Bordeaux and Toulouse for a long time. Today, however, the département is trying to reverse this trend by converting its so-called disadvantages into assets. It is strategically placed, halfway between the two regional capitals, and its agricultural tradition is a major asset. The Agropole, a centre for research and advanced technology in the food industry based in the Aquitaine region, has facilitated the creation of a large number of companies and jobs. The pharmaceutical industry has benefitted from this renewed energy since the Institut de la Garonne, a training centre for health sector professionals in the South West, attracts students from the most prestigious universities in the country. A great deal of this success can be attributed to the Lot-et-Garonne Chamber of Commerce and its president, Jean-Alain Mariotti, as a result of their attempts to change the ways of thinking among heads of companies.