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Forbes ranks Louisiana's best employers for 2026. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect//August 21, 2026// KEY TAKEAWAYS: * Raising Cane's ranked as Louisiana's top employer on Forbes' state-by-state list. * North Oaks Health System ranked second, followed by Amedisys and New Orleans-based Ochsner Health. * Eighteen Louisiana-headquartered employers made the list, including several based in New Orleans. * Forbes and Statista surveyed more than 240,000 employees working for U.S. companies with at least 500 workers. When it comes to building a career, where you work, and the company you work for, can be one of the most important deciding factors. For workers in search of the best employers, or for employers wanting to create a positive workplace, Forbes has compiled a list of America's best employers by state. A total of 1,365 employers made Forbes' list, and the site compiled the list by partnering with Statista in order to survey over 240,000 employees who work for a company of at least 500 people within the U.S. Why these 4 employers are the best in Louisiana according to Forbes Eighteen companies with headquarters in Louisiana were featured on Forbes' list of America's best employers by state, and here's what to know about the top four. * Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers in Baton Rouge Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, headquartered in Baton Rouge, was named the overall best employer in Louisiana. The company is part of the restaurant industry and employs 50,000 workers. The company was founded by Todd Graves in 1996 and he currently serves as the CEO and Chairman, according to Forbes. Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers was also named on Forbes' list of America's best employers for women for 2026 and 2025, as well as America's best large employers for 2025. * North Oaks Health System in Hammond North Oaks Health System is headquartered in Hammond and is the second best employer in Louisiana. The company, founded in 1960, is part of the healthcare and social services industry and it employs 2,999 workers. Michele Kidd Sutton serves as the current CEO and President. This company was also named on Forbes' list of America's best employers for women in 2026, America's best midsize employers for 2026 and America's best employers for healthcare professionals for 2025. * Amedisys in Baton Rouge Amedisys was named the third best employer in Louisiana and it's headquartered in Baton Rouge. This company, which is a part of the healthcare and social services industry, was founded in 1982 and employs 8,896 workers. The current CEO and President is Richard Ashworth. The company was also named on Forbes' list of America's best employers for women for 2026, America's best large employers for 2026 and America's best employers for healthcare professionals for 2025. * Ochsner Health System in New Orleans Ochsner Health System is the fourth best employer in Louisiana and it is headquartered in New Orleans. Founded in 1942, this company is a part of the healthcare and social services industry and employs 40,000 workers. Currently, Pete November serves as the CEO and President, says Forbes. The company was also named on Forbes' list of America's best employers for company culture for 2026, best employers for veterans for 2025 and America's best employers for healthcare professionals for 2025. 18 best employers in Louisiana according to Forbes These are the 18 best employers with company headquarters in Louisiana, according to Forbes: * Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers in Baton Rouge,Louisiana * North Oaks Health System in Hammond * Amedisys in Baton Rouge * Ochsner Health System in New Orleans * Franciscan Missionaries of Its Lady Health System in Baton Rouge * LHC Group in Lafayette * LCMC Health in New Orleans * Lake Charles Memorial Health System in Lake Charles * LSU Health in New Orleans * Lafayette Parish School District in Lafayette * Turner Industries in Baton Rouge * Tulane University in New Orleans * State ofLouisiana in Baton Rouge * Rouses Supermarkets in Thibodaux * Lumen Technologies in Monroe * Entergy in New Orleans * Coushatta Casino Resort in Kinder * Terrebonne General Health System in Houma Presley Bo Tyler is the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team reporter for USA Today Network. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at [email protected] This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: These 4 companies were named the best employers in Louisiana by Forbes Reporting by Presley Bo Tyler, Shreveport Times / Shreveport Times USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

3 takeaways from US antitrust M&A activity in Q3 2025. United States (US) antitrust enforcement in Q3 2025 reflects a pragmatic yet assertive approach under the Trump administration. While the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are clearing mergers swiftly or resolving concerns through settlements, they remain vigilant on compliance - particularly with Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) obligations. Recent speeches and enforcement actions underscore a dual message: Regulators aim to facilitate dealmaking where competitive risks are minimal but will not hesitate to impose penalties or pursue litigation, when necessary. DOJ antitrust head says its aim is to "get out of the way quickly" in most cases. In a speech before the Ohio State University Law School, US Assistant Attorney General (AAG) Gail Slater, the head of the DOJ Antitrust Division, noted that the guiding principle of her (and the Trump administration's) antitrust enforcement philosophy is to enforce the nation's competition laws "both vigorously and fairly, with clear rules that facilitate, rather than stifle, the ingenuity of [America's] greatest companies." AAG Slater said the DOJ's job is to call balls and strikes and let the free market do its job, opining that the "vast majority of mergers do not give rise to competitive concerns, and in those cases, [the DOJ] aim[s] to get out of the way quickly." These comments are consistent with what Quinnmorris has seen with the Trump FTC and DOJ in 2025, as demonstrated by the number of merger settlements entered into this summer by the FTC and DOJ. Though AAG Slater's remarks only represent the Antitrust Division's enforcement philosophy, the FTC appears to be following a similar philosophy as the DOJ by clearing transactions unconditionally or entering into significantly more merger settlements as compared to the Biden administration. The chart below identifies the merger settlements entered into this summer and fall. It is important to note that the Trump DOJ agreed to settle two merger challenges brought by the Biden administration (Hewlett Packard Enterprise/Juniper Networks and United Health/Amedisys). Despite the merging parties proposing a settlement, the FTC elected to continue challenging GTCR's acquisition of Surmodics, arguing that the divestiture proposed was not a stand-alone business and would not maintain competition. The Surmodics challenge demonstrates that the Trump antitrust regulators will still scrutinize proposed settlements and will not just accept any settlement if it does not address its concerns. The chart below is provided as a refresher of the merger settlements entered into this summer and early fall. Merger settlements in Q2/Q3 2025. DOJ continues to pursue alleged HSR rules violations. Although the antitrust agencies are accepting more settlements, they are still aggressively investigating and prosecuting companies that they contend violate the HSR rules. As part of the UnitedHealth/Amedisys settlement referenced above, Amedisys agreed to pay a $1.1 million civil penalty and implement a compliance program to settle claims that it violated the HSR Antitrust Improvements Act (HSR Act) (15 U.S.C. 18a) by allegedly falsely certifying that it had provided true, correct, and complete information in response to the DOJ's merger investigation when it provided large volumes of information after that certification. Amedisys is not the only company that has found itself in DOJ's crosshairs. There have been a number of lawsuits related to HSR Act compliance either because parties allegedly provided false information or failed to comply with document production requirements. Former Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Bill Rinner said in a speech earlier this summer that the division "will seek judicial sanctions where parties systematically abuse legal professional privilege or recklessly disregard professional duties by withholding or altering documents required by the HSR Act." AAG Slater announced the creation of the "Comply with Care" task force meant to resolve some of the challenges that the DOJ staff encounter with "problematic tactics" from outside lawyers and law firms - including what AAG Slater describes as delay tactics, privilege abuses, and destruction of evidence via failure to preserve ephemeral chat communications. FTC and DOJ issue annual HSR report for FY 2024. The FTC and DOJ released the HSR Annual Report for FY 2024, which covers October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024. While the report does not include the significant effects of the new HSR filing rules on parties making US premerger filings, it does contain key statistics regarding the number of filings overall and in specific sectors. In FY 2024, there were 2,031 transactions reported under the HSR Act, up from 1,805 the previous year. Roughly one-fourth of these transactions were valued at $1 billion or more. The agencies took action against 32 transactions - 18 by the FTC and 14 by the DOJ - resulting in abandonments, the restructuring of deals, or federal court litigation. Below are more key statistics on the number of challenged transactions and abandonments. Below is the industry breakdown of adjusted transactions based on the acquired entity's operations. US M&A activity: by the numbers. Number of enforcement actions in key industries[1]. Snapshot of selected enforcement actions[2]. Time from signing to consent or investigation closing. [1] For the US, this chart includes cases where Quinnmorris is aware an antitrust enforcement agency issued a second request and the investigation remained ongoing during the quarter, the agency accepted a consent order or filed a complaint to initiate litigation, or the transaction was abandoned following an antitrust investigation. [2] This chart is based on McDermott Will & Schulte internal analysis and public press reports and filings. It does not represent a complete list of all matters within a jurisdiction.