ALEXANDRIA EYE & LASER CENTER HOLDS GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY FOR EXPANSION 
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Congratulations to the Chamber's Chairman, Lafe Jones & the rest of the team at Alexandria Eye and Laser Center! It's growing businesses and healthcare providers like this one that make central Louisiana such a great place to live!
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CENTRAL LOUISIANA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AGRICULTURE INITIATIVE HOSTS SUCCESSFUL INAUGURAL EVENT
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The Central Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Initiative hosted its first event for 2015, an Agriculture Law & Labor Seminar and Strategic Luncheon featuring Dr. Mike Strain, LA Commissioner of Agriculture & Forestry. A special thanks to our speakers for giving of their time and knowledge to further help and encourage central Louisiana's farmers and ranchers: Dr. Mike Strain, LA Commissioner of Agriculture & Forestry; Trooper James Farris, Louisiana State Police; Joseph Perez-Montes, Senior Associate Attorney, Gold, Weems, Bruser, Sues & Rundell; and Marty Pousson, Program Coordinator, Pesticide Certification Training, LA Department of Agriculture & Forestry. Thanks to Jimbo Thiels and his hard working staff at Tunk's Cypress Inn for the wonderful food and great service. And remember, if you ate today, thank a farmer!
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EMPLOYERS INVITED TO
LSUA'S 2015 JOB FAIR
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LSUA's 2015 Job Fair will take place on Wednesday, March 11, from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm, in LSUA's Brumfield-Caffey Ballroom. The Job Fair provides LSUA's students with an opportunity to meet and talk with employers who are eager to hire well-qualified and motivated college graduates.
The fair's specific objectives for 2015 are:
- To inform students for full-time and part-time job opportunities in the area;
- To provide career information to students;
- To showcase current students and recent graduates to prospective employers.
Please note that employers do not need to have immediate job openings to attend.
For more information, please contact Dr. Eamon Halpin, Director of Student Support, at [email protected] or click here.
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DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE
NEW CHAMBER WEBSITE!!
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Please take time to visit the new,
user-friendly website!
www.cenlachamber.org
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You are receiving this email because you are a member of the Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce. Don't forget to add [email protected] to your address book so we'll be sure to land in your inbox!
Sincerely,
The Central LA Chamber of Commerce
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
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Tuesday, March 3, 2015
6:00 p.m.
Convention Hall at Alexandria City Hall
The Army Listening Session about the proposed cut of up to 6,500 troops at Fort Polk will be held in three locations simultaneously on March 3, 2015. The three locations include, Leesville, Alexandria and Lake Charles. The Alexandria Listening Session will be hosted by the Central LA Chamber of Commerce at Convention Hall at Alexandria City Hall at 6:00 p.m.
"Holding the listening sessions in three locations will enable us to significantly increase the number of participants," said Deborah Randolph, President. "It is critically important for us to turn out as many supporters as possible at each location. We believe Army decision makers will take notice of the commitment of the surrounding communities for the post as a result of the satellite events."
The Army decision makers will attend the Listening Session held at the Pentecostal Church in downtown Leesville. However, there will be a live feed of key testimony from the Alexandria and Lake Charles Listening Sessions that will be broadcast at the Leesville Session. Additionally, the Leesville session will broadcast via a live feed so that the Alexandria participants may watch the testimony provided from Brigadier Gen. William Hickman, Commander of Fort Polk and the JRTC, Mike Reese, President, Fort Polk Progress and many statewide officials.
Rapides Parish and area officials and business leaders are encouraged to attend in Alexandria and provide testimony. Please arrive in time to be signed in and seated by 6:00 p.m.
Volunteers are needed to help attendees signs in. If you are available to help, please contact the Chamber office at 318.442.6671.
Click on the Fort Polk Progress logo for more information
or click here.
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The Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce is partnering with the Louisiana Association of Business & Industry (LABI) to host the annual LABI State Legislative Issues Conference.
MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015
11:30 AM TO 1:00 PM
COUNTRY INN & SUITES
2727 Monroe Highway 165, Pineville
Driving Directions
Stephen Waguespack, president of LABI, will share LABI's priorities and vision for the legislative session, focusing on threats to business and opportunities to improve Louisiana's economic climate and goal competitiveness. |
Stephen Waguespack
LABI President
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Luncheon
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Sponsorship
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$20
($25 for non-Chamber members)
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$250
(includes lunch for 8, plus signage at the event and on all program material)
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Click Here to Register & Pay Now
or call 318.442.6571 for your reservation & learn about available sponsorship opportunities.
RSVP by Thursday, March 12
*No shows are responsible for payment unless otherwise noted y the RSVP date.*
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FRESH CENTRAL ANNOUNCES THIRD ANNUAL FOODAPALOOZA
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The Third Annual Foodapalooza, an event that celebrates Central Louisiana foods and food producers, will be February 26 through February 28, in Alexandria. The event includes nationally recognized speakers Kathlyn Terry, the executive director for the Appalachian Sustainable Development, and organic farming expert Mark Cain. Foodapalooza also features workshops and presentations, tours of local farms and locally sourced meals from restaurants throughout the region.
"This year's Foodapalooza will include more workshops, partners and events than ever before," said John Cotton Dean, regional food systems planner for the Central Louisiana Economic Development Alliance. "Our goal is to celebrate local foods, share resources and inspire others to make changes in their own community. We want to thank our partners for ensuring that Foodapalooza continues to grow."
Foodapalooza is free of charge and geared toward anyone with an interest in increasing the availability of fresh local foods in Central Louisiana. It will be held in The Rapides Foundation Building in downtown Alexandria. Main events will be in the Hearn Stage at the Kress Theatre.
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BE A PART OF DEVELOPING OUR
FUTURE WORKFORCE
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The Rapides Business & Career Solutions Center (LA Workforce Commission), the City of Alexandria, The Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce, The Learning Center for Rapides Parish, The City of Pineville, and other community partners are presenting the 8th Annual Community-Wide Youth Job Fair.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
3:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Alexandria Riverfront Center, Downtown Alexandria
The purpose of this job fair is to match young job seekers (ages 16 to 24) with local businesses for summer, part-time, temporary, seasonal, or full-time entry level employment opportunities.
Job Seekers are also invited to participate in the Job Seekers' Workshop
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Rapides Business & Career Solutions Center
5610 B Coliseum Boulevard, Alexandria
The Job Seekers' Workshop has been scheduled to prepare young people with information on cover letters, resumes, the interview process, and how to retain a job.
For more information, contact:
Frances Thomas-Tennie - 318.767.6004 or [email protected]
Latonya Smith - 318.487.5545 or [email protected]
PARTNERS
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EXPERT ADVICE TO HELP YOU GET IT ALL DONE, BETTER. |
Tips for Business Success in 2015
PARTICIPATE IN E-COMMERCE
"The future of e-commerce belongs to small businesses. This is the biggest opportunity for retailers since farmer's markets began hundreds of years ago. People often believe setting up an online store is expensive and difficult, but this is not the case."
Harley Finkelstein, Chief Platform Officer at Shopify.com
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RIBBON CUTTING
CELEBRATIONS
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click on the photo to view
Lisa Campo American National Insurance
Paradise Shopping Plaza
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