BATON ROUGE - East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and online marketplace eBay announced two economic developed initiatives coming to the area.

Those initiatives include the expansion of eBay’s Retail Revival and eBay@Home programs. Officials say Baton Rouge is the sixth city globally to join the Retail Revival program.

The Retail Revival program is an intensive 12-month ecommerce and business training program. The program aims to train local businesses owners to sell their products "in a global marketplace, while strengthening ties with their local business community."

About 40 customer service jobs are coming to the city as part of eBay@Home. According to the company, the program will allow employees to work from their home. Program employees will receive locally competitive pay, full-time benefits, and they will be fully integrated into the eBay community.  

According to a release, eBay chose Baton Rouge for its "ongoing commitment to small businesses and entrepreneurs, as well for its rich history, and the potential of its retail community."

"The small business community in Baton Rouge exemplifies the vibrancy of our city," Broome said. "Baton Rouge has small, growing businesses in every sector. For retail to restaurants that exemplify local flavor, to innovative tech companies growing in our local small business incubators. We're excited to work with eBay through the Retail Revival program to support and expand our growing network of entrepreneurs and small businesses."