3/14/2017
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Booths Still Available!

Sign up now for this year's Business EXPO! 
It will take place at the Lake Charles Civic Center on March 23. The EXPO is the best way to share what you do and provide for your customers with the business community of Southwest Louisiana.

8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
 Lake Charles Civic Center 

Immediately After the EXPO,  Amelie Karam will be the keynote speaker at our EXPO Luncheon.  She will be presenting  "Understanding, Attracting and Retaining Millennials in the Workplace."
Tickets are $20.

 

We  are also looking for this year's 
 Small Business of the Year
We are looking for a company that has  substantiated history as an established business, a g rowth in number of employees, innovative  products/ services offered, and or contributed  to community-oriented projects.


This year's EXPO is sponsored by: 
 
 
 

Amerisafe, Inc. & SCORE
First Federal Bank of Louisiana, Humana Insurance, Lake Charles Urgent Care, New Beginnings at Lake Charles, Sam's Club, Southwest Beverage  and Townsqare Media.

For more information about either the award or the EXPO, contact Michelle McInnis at mmcinnis@allianceswla.org.
This Thursday, we will be at Oak Crossing for Business After Hours co-hosted by LaVoglia! Check out the many new businesses calling Oak Crossing home and stay for the live music, great food, and fabulous door prizes. 

Thursday, March 16
5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

RSVP to Cheryl Roberson at  croberson@allianceswla.org
CITGO Supports the Chamber
CITGO donated $35,000 to the Chamber SWLA as part of their 2017 Title Sponsorship of the Chamber SWLA Banquet that took place at the Golden Nugget on January 26.   

Pictured: Paula Ramsey, VP, Chamber; George Swift, President and CEO of the SWLA Economic Development Alliance; Dana Keel, CITGO Lake Charles Government & Public Affairs Manager; Tomeu Vadell, V.P. and General Manager of  CITGO Lake Charles; and John Pohorelsky, 2016 Chair of the Chamber SWLA Board of Directors.
Incubator Client Expands Business
Sassy Oil & Vinegar, once solely a mobile boutique business operating out of the SEED Center Business Incubator, will soon be a walk-in business at their new location -- the lobby of the SEED Center. 

The ribbon cutting will take place today at 4 p.m. in the SEED Center, 1st Floor Café located at 4310 Ryan Street in Lake Charles.

 
Liz Fuselier, owner, will be offering her wide range of olive oils and balsamic vinegars as well as French press, cold brewed or classic coffee.  Fuselier's main goal is to not only sell top quality olive oils and balsamic vinegars, but to educate consumers on how to use them as dressings, marinades for fruits, vegetables, cocktails, and desserts. There are so many ways to incorporate healthy fats into the diet, and  "It's OK to play with your food."  This flavored olive oil and balsamic vinegar business will have items to compliment their oil and vinegars, and can put together  gift baskets together to meet all tastes, budgets, and occasions. 

Sassy Oil & Vinegar has been a member of the Chamber since 2013 and an Ambassador as long.  Owner Liz Fuselier is a 2016 Leadership Southwest graduate, and a Small and Emerging Business Development (SEBD) Peer to Peer Roundtable Participant. She has also utilized the services of SCORE, SEBD, and SBDC.  Sassy Oil & Vinegar was one of the first affiliate clients of the SEED Center Business Incubator, moving in as her business expanded. 

For more information about Sassy Oil & Vinegar, check out their website: sassyoilandvinegar.com or contact Fuselier at sassyovcafe@gmail.com or (337) 540-1408.
Getting to Know the Alliance
In two weeks, the Alliance will host all interested new members and existing members at an Orientation Lunch. This is an opportunity for you & your staff to learn what the Chamber and SWLA Alliance does for the regional business community.

Monday, March 27     
12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
The SEED Center
2nd Floor Meeting Room
4310 Ryan Street, Lake Charles

RSVP to Paula Ramsey at pramsey@allianceswla.org or (337) 433-3632.
Member of the Week
   
New Members
Chairman's Circle
 
Preferred Members
  • Cricket Wireless
  • Gulf Coast Social Services & In Home Care
  • Herc Rentals
  • Kreations Embroidery & Gifts, LLC 
  • LaCucina Commissary Kitchen
  • Lake Charles Care Center 
  • Mattress Headquarters
Business Members
  • AARP Louisiana
  • ARCCO Power Systems-GENERAC Industrial Generators
  • Armor Title Company, LLC
  • Farmer's Merchant's Bank & Trust Company
  • Carolyn Gobert
  • Harley-Davidson of Lake Charles 
  • In Touch Technology, LLC
  • TownePlace Suites Lake Charles

Ribbon Cuttings
Ribbon
Mattress Headquarters
Thursday March 16 @ 8:30 a.m.
800 West Prien Lake Road, Suite 200, Lake Charles

The Gazebo at Oak Crossing
Thursday, March 16 @ 5 p.m.
(Prior to the Business After Hours)
5656 Nelson Road, Lake Charles

CHRISTUS St Patrick 
John & Sylvia Stelly 
Regional Heart Center
Monday, March 20 @ 2 p.m.  
First Floor, Lobby
( Complimentary valet parking is available )

Breaux Petroleum Products, Inc
Friday, March 24 @ 10 a.m.
307 Bunker Road, Lake Charles
(Turn Left on Bunker off of Broad or Hwy 90 Business past Southwest Beverage)

Cardiovascular Outpatient Center of SWLA
Thursday, March 30 @ 4 p.m.
401 Dr. Michael DeBakey Drive, Lake Charles

Kreations Embroidery & Gifts, LLC
Thursday, April 6 @ 11:30 a.m.
3121 Ernest Street, Lake Charles 
 
McNeese Library
Lether E Frazar Memorial Library
Thursday, April 6 @ 2:30 p.m.
300 Beauregard Drive, McNeese Campus, Lake Charles
Keep Up with Chamber and Alliance Events & Programs                                       
Hiring Our Heroes Is Back!
Join us Wednesday,  March 22, 2017, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., for a job fair for veteran job seekers, active duty military members, Guard 
and Reserve members, and military spouses, at the Lake Charles Civic Center Exhibition Hall900 Lakeshore Drive, Lake Charles, LA 70601. 
  This event will be a one-of-a-kind FREE hiring fair for both employers and job seekers.
 
The Hiring Our Heroes job seeker employment workshop is led by HR and workforce professionals and covers a variety of topics including resume building, networking, and interview tips, taking into account the job seeker's military background and lifestyle. Hiring Our Heroes digital tools, including the  Resume Engine , are also integrated into the workshop curriculum. The workshop begins at 8:30 a.m.
 
REGISTRATION LINK  
WBN Image
This is the "Year of Giving" for the Women's Business Network (WBN) of the Chamber SWLA. This year, the WBN will concentrate on what it can do as individual members and as a whole to give back to our community. 

Our first meeting for the year will take place on March 29 at 11:30 a.m. at the SEED Center.  Julio Galan of Family & Youth Counseling Agency will be addressing the group on the many programs and services provided by his organization.  We will also be  collecting small stuffed animals to give to the children who visit Family and Youth Counseling Agency. 

Contact Michelle McInnis at mmcinnis@allianceswla.org if you have any questions.
Are you a Leadership Graduate?
Workforce Training Scholarships Available
 
The Alliance and the Alcoa Foundation are accepting applications for scholarships to be given to individuals interested in receiving training necessary to apply for jobs in support of the economic expansion in the Southwest Louisiana region. 

For more information on this program contact Michelle McInnis,  Regional Business and Workforce Development Director, at mmcinnis@allianceswla.org or ( 337) 433-3632 ext. 1206.
Economic Development Summit Announced
The Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance is teaming up with the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) and other regional economic development organizations to host the second annual Statewide Economic Development Summit presented by Entergy will be held on Tuesday, April 11.

The Summit will take place at the Crowne Plaza Executive Center in Baton Rouge from 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., and will feature keynote presentations by Governor John Bel Edwards, Greg Burkart of Duff & Phelps, Roberto Gallardo, Ph.D., of Mississippi State University Extension, and Secretary of Louisiana Economic Development Don Pierson. The event lineup will also include additional presentations and panels.

The regional economic development organizations convening the Summit include:
  • Baton Rouge Area Chamber
  • Central Louisiana Economic Development Alliance
  • Greater New Orleans, Inc.
  • Lafayette Economic Development Authority
  • One Acadiana
  • North Louisiana Economic Partnership
  • Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance
  • South Louisiana Economic Council
  • Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance
Event registration is available at brac.org/edsummit . Registration, which includes continental breakfast and lunch, is $90. Discounted room rates at the Crowne Plaza of $99 are available for event attendees; call 225-930-1030 and use the group code BRA.

Additional event information, including the full event agenda, will be released at brac.org/edsummit as available.
Do you have the next great idea?
 
 

(337) 433-3632
www.allianceswla.org