In Quarter One of 2021, your Chamber....
Welcomed 12 new members!
Celebrated Ben Lilley,
Quarter One Member Engagement Champion
Congratulations to Ben Lilley, Chamber Board Member, for engaging the most new members out of any other board member in the first quarter of 2021! The Chamber’s Board is divided into teams who compete to spread the word about the Chamber to businesses, and Lilley takes the accolades for the first quarter for his team The Innovators.

Lilley is embarking on his third year volunteering on the Chamber’s Board of Directors, and represents his industry and employer AT&T during the Chamber’s discussions. Within the Chamber Lilley helps lead the FireStarter Project.

Lilley says he devotes time to the chamber because he’s always believed in giving back to the community that you’re brought up in. When discussing chamber involvement with a business owner, Lilley says he focuses on the connection to the business community that members have. “As board members we strive to make sure the Chamber is thriving, which in turn shows that our community is involved and that our business owners are invested in themselves,” says Lilley.

Lilley continues, “For a community to succeed, whether it’s personal or business, the people who are living here have to get involved and give back.” His involvement with the Chamber is only the beginning of how he serves his community. He puts his time where his attitude is. In addition to his chamber volunteerism, he is the President of CASA 16th Judicial District which spans multiple parishes, has served for over twenty years on the Iberia Athletics Association’s Board of Directors, is a State of Louisiana Hunting and Safety Instructor, an active Optimist Club member, spends time monthly at St. Francis Diner and Solomon House, has volunteered for the Boys and Girls Club and United Way, and is a member of Believe AT&T, a program that provides essentials such as food and hygiene supplies to local shelters and veterans.

Lilley’s philosophy is that the only way you can contribute to positive change in your community is by getting involved directly and leaning on those who have come before you for support. He hopes his volunteerism encourages others to contribute to Iberia Parish’s success.

Hosted two Up Next Webinars
On March 16th, your Chamber virtually hosted Senator Fred Mills and Representatives Blake Miguez, Marcus Bryant, and Beau Beaullieu to discuss the upcoming Regular State Legislative Session and engage with business owners to address what matters to them this year.

Via Facebook Live and Zoom, the live streaming of this webinar reached over 250 community members!
On March 23rd, your Chamber hosted Mike Tarantino, CEO of the Iberia Industrial Development Foundation (IDF), Monique Boulet, CEO of the Acadiana Planning Commission (APC), and Chad LaComb, Development Planner for the APC to inform Chamber members about federally designated opportunity zones- what they mean for local businesses, and the Invest New Iberia Analysis.

Via Facebook Live and Zoom, the live streaming of this webinar reached over 150 community members!
Promoted over 100 Small Business Trainings
Your Chamber is partnering with the Louisiana Small Business Development Center (LSBDC) to bring free virtual workshops to business owners. These workshops cover an incredible range of information that's relevant and timely. Thus far, we have promoted over 100 workshops through our website and weekly email updates. View upcoming trainings on the Chamber's website by clicking here.
Stayed in touch via email
In order to provide more consistent and timely information, your Chamber pivoted to producing a weekly newsletter in 2021.

So far we've sent 11 emails containing over 83 announcements and having a reach of 2,893 community members!
Welcomed new changes to the Board of Directors
In 2021 we are led by Wendell Verret, Director of the Twin Parish Port Commission, Delcambre. Verret says "This is a very active chamber and I am looking forward to leading it through a year of continued adjustments as the board and staff offers local businesses and the community a solid tradition of programming to support Iberia Parish’s culture which is rooted in resiliency through its innovation, collaboration and work ethic."

Joining the Chamber's Board of Directors this year is McGee Scott Realtor Andree' Schlicher. Schlicher is an alumni of Leadership Iberia and has spent time volunteering for the Gumbo Cookoff. Schlicher will bring her positive attitude, expertise in her field, and the resiliency that comes with strong investment in the community to the Chamber Board.

GICC is proud to welcome Josh Pellerin to the Executive Committee, where he will serve as Third Vice Chairperson in 2021, with his sights set on serving as volunteer chairperson in 2024. Pellerin is an alumni of Leadership Iberia and owns a local business, CopyNet. He will be bringing a love for Iberia Parish and his tremendous experience in technology and communications to the Chamber’s discussion in the years to come.

Graduated Leadership Iberia Class XXII
After quite an unusual year, Class XXII is finally graduated.
The graduation post to Facebook reached over 5,200 people!
And welcomed Leadership Iberia Class XXIII
Class XXIII is looking forward to their year in the Leadership Iberia Program!
Launched the Rooted in Resiliency Campaign
A message from Chamber CEO Janet Faulk-Gonzales:

We hear it a lot these days, the term resiliency, defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as the ability to recover quickly from misfortune.

Each year the Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce chooses a theme to guide the promotion of the Chamber's current plan of work. Board, staff, and volunteers alike are inspired by the 2021 Rooted in Resiliency watch phrase that acknowledges the strong traditions of community and opportunities that propel us forward.

Long-time business members are strengthening the chamber and its work to build resilient Community by joining the chamber in a new way as "Partners Rooted in Resiliency" specifically supporting segments of chamber work for prosperity, communications/education, leadership development and stronger community. This new membership system provides business members the opportunity to choose their own membership levels which provide more visibility for their companies.
Continued our successful Positively Iberia! Program
Positively Iberia!, a profile-raising initiative of the Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce produced 12 programs with 37 guests in the first quarter, airing on KANE Radio Teche Matters each Thursday. Topics include local events and activities of interest with local guests and professionals, as well as, guests of regional and state merit. Guest panels in the first quarter included staff from the Acadiana Planning Commission to discuss a study which they are conducting on rural broadband, representatives from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals along with the director of the New Iberia UL Research Center discussing the role that the research center had in creating a viable Covid-19 vaccine; and Louisiana Economic Development officials paring with local alumni of the state’s CEO Roundtable program that helps businesses adopt best practices and learn from their peers around the state and much more.

Listen to Positively Iberia! underwritten by the First National Bank of Jeanerette every Thursday, 10am hour on “Teche Matters” KANE Radio 107.5FM & 240AM or catch it in the post to Facebook (@positivelyiberia) later in the day.
Revisited the Chamber's mission and vision statement to ensure the Chamber's work is relevant and progressive
At its 4QR annual planning meeting the Greater Iberia Chamber Board of Directors reviewed every program that the chamber currently offers affirming the relevancy of each to the current needs of the Iberia business community.
Supporting this analysis of programming, in the first quarter of 2021, the board revised the mission and vision statements to reinforce the message that when a strong resilient connected community of Iberia Parish businesses work together incredible opportunities for prosperity are created.

Vision: The Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce acts to build a resilient community with a growing economy.

Mission: Inspired by outstanding business leaders, the Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to building a remarkable community creating prosperity and ensuring a sustainable and thriving economy for Iberia Parish
Created Greater Iberia Community Connection
to support chamber charitable efforts
We have officially established a new 501c3 organization, The Greater Iberia Community Connection, established for the purpose of helping to support the chamber’s programs that address quality of life issues including but not limited to the leadership programs--Leadership Iberia (community-based leadership program for adults), The FireStarter Project (community-based leadership program for high school students) and Inspire (women’s leadership conference), community image, and workforce development. The ultimate goal is to the create the capacity for current and future generations to maintain healthy livable Iberia Parish communities.
The inaugural board is comprised of the seated Executive Committee of the Chamber--Wendell Verret, Lennie Fields, Farrell Armentor, Joshua Pellerin, Shalee Landry and Mark Boyance and alumni of the Leadership Iberia program who are not presently seated on the Chamber's board—Marlon Lewis, Jan Talbot, David O, Tamekia Livingston-Wills.