LACCE exists to promote the improvement of management skills, techniques, and proficiency of Chamber Executives. |
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2021 LACCE Awards Announced |
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LACCE was proud to present the following awards during our 2021 Annual Conference held in Baton Rouge in November:
LACCE 2021 Chamber of the Year Awards
- Small Chamber Award - Broussard Chamber of Commerce
- Medium Chamber Award - Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce
LACCE 2021 Accredited Chamber
- Union Parish Chamber of Commerce
LACCE 2021 Staff Service Awards
- 10 Years of Service
- Melissa Bordelon, Tangipahoa Chamber
- 5 Years of Service
- Jessica Hemingway, Bossier Chamber
- Kattie Hollay, Bossier Chamber
- Raquel Manuel, St. Landry Chamber
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LABI Releases Judicial Modernization Series |
The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) is embarking on a four-part series to increase public understanding of Louisiana’s judiciary in the hopes of implementing best practices that will promote trust in our vast court system. To achieve this goal, LABI is steered by three major guideposts: greater access, transparency and efficiency. One path to improved transparency and access is simply through modernization of the court system.
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Louisiana Veterans First Business Initiative |
The initiative was created to honor the sacrifice that Louisiana veterans have made by recognizing businesses owned by a veteran, active-duty or reserve military, or Gold Star spouse. The program will allow for veterans, active-duty or reserve military, or Gold Star spouses who have a fifty-one percent ownership in a business to apply for and gain certification to recognize and promote their businesses. In addition, the program will create a searchable database for anyone seeking to patronize a veteran, active-duty or reserve military, or Gold Star spouse business. Click here to learn more.
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LACCE Associate Member Updates |
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Join the Keep Louisiana Beautiful Webinar Learning Series Part 3 to learn more about waste audits. The Know Your Trash - How and Why You Should Conduct a Waste Audit webinar will be held December 8 at 10:00am. Click here to register, and click here for more information on the program.
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YGM hosted Alysia Cook, PCED, IOM, and Principal of Opportunity Strategies, LLC, on their November ‘TRC Talks.’ She is known as a 'secret shopper' who goes into businesses and evaluates the shopping experience and reports back to the owners on how they can improve the shopping experience for their customers. If you missed it, you can still view the video or read the blog.
The December ‘TRC Talks’ will feature Lindsay Keisler, IOM, CCEC, and President/CEO of the Catawba Co. Chamber in North Carolina. She and YGM CEO & Principal Consultant, Jason E. Ebey IOM, will be discussing the Catawba MADE magazine and how Lindsay’s team uses it to improve their workforce development. The event will be held Dec. 13 at 2 p.m. CST/3 p.m. EST via Facebook Live. We invite everyone to join us.
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The Chamber has announced staffing changes. After leading the Chamber for over 10 years, Amy Thibodeaux will step down as President & CEO on November 30, 2021. She leaves the Chamber to join tax consulting firm, Advantous Consulting, as Senior Manager of External Affairs. The Chamber's Board of Directors has chosen to appoint Megan Duhon as Interim President & CEO. Duhon has been with the chamber staff since 2014.
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The Chamber is pleased to announce that Jessica Hemingway, Vice President, has earned the certification of Professional Community and Economic Developer (PCED). Hemingway is one of only four people in the state of Louisiana with this designation.
In November, the Chamber, in conjunction with NWLA La STEM Innovation Center, hosted 94 Caddo and Bossier parish high school students for a Career and Innovation Fair followed by the Education and Innovation Luncheon. For the Career and Innovation Fair, students visited 15 different interactive booths from businesses and education partners to showcase the innovative work they do. At the luncheon, Byrd High School students in the Growing for Good club talked about their innovative work in hydroponics, incorporating agriculture students in the growing of lettuce and tomatoes, engineering students to build the hydroponic systems and business students to sell the produce in the form of salads at school lunches.
In October, the Chamber hosted its annual Military Leadership Forum, with two generals headlining the event where four local and state military leaders talked about their mission, challenges and areas for community support. The Military Leadership Forum was created to increase community awareness about all of the major happenings in our military community and gain insight on the day-to-day operations for the Air Force, as well as our local guard and reserve units.
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The City of Broussard and the Chamber will host Noël á Broussard on Saturday, December 4. The Broussard Christmas Parade will roll through downtown Broussard at 3:00 pm and serve as the kickoff for Noël á Broussard. There will be “Reindeer Games” and activities for the children, pictures with Santa, food trucks, and an opportunity for guests to SHOP LOCAL while getting a jump start on their holiday shopping at Papa Noël’s Market. At 6:30 pm, Santa will light the community Christmas tree in front of City Hall, signifying the official start of the holiday season in Broussard.
The 2nd Annual “Let it Glow!” city-wide decorating contest is happening in Broussard and we need your vote! Visitors to Broussard can download the City’s new Discover Broussard app to find a map of all locations in Broussard that are registered for the contest. Visit Broussard between December 11th & 19th and use the app to tour the displays and vote for your favorite! Learn more by clicking here. We hope to see you in Broussard for the holidays!
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The Jefferson Chamber Board of Directors selected Ruth W. Lawson to serve as the fourth President in the organization’s 25-year history. Lawson, who will begin her new role on December 14, is currently serving as Executive Director of the Jefferson Parish Finance Authority where she managed an operating budget and portfolio of approximately $20 million in investments, cash, and securities. She is a small business co-owner with her husband Brett of several Smoothie King franchises, a nutritional beverage company founded in Kenner, La. Lawson, a graduate of LSU Law School who holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the same university, also served as a Senior Parish Attorney and as a Chief Administrative Officer in Jefferson Parish. She was a corporate attorney and compliance officer for Barriere Construction Company, LLC following her years in Jefferson Parish government.
The Chamber had a busy November holding several events. On November 17, the Chamber hosted State of Jefferson, its annual state of the parish luncheon for over 350 attendees at Chateau Golf & Country Club. The event featured presentations by Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng, Councilman-At-Large Scott Walker and schools Superintendent Dr. James Gray on current activities and developments throughout the parish. On Tuesday, November 16, the Chamber’s Young Professionals enjoyed a Power Lunch discussion featuring JEDCO President and CEO Jerry Bologna at Bobby Hebert’s Cajun Cannon Restaurant. On Friday, November 12, the Chamber hosted its final, monthly Business & Breakfast networking event of 2021 at Copeland’s Restaurant. On Tuesday, November 9, the Chamber’s Leadership Jefferson Class of 2022 held its second summit on the topic of healthcare which was highlighted by a series of speakers by a variety of healthcare leaders in the parish.
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The Chamber hosted three webinars in November:
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“Redistricting: How will it affect you?” with Senator Sharon Hewitt who discussed how it works, what new districts in St. Tammany and Louisiana could look like, and what it means for St. Tammany citizens and their representation. Listen to the recording here.
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“Recognizing Changes in Behavior: Addiction and Suicide Awareness.” Mary Burckell with Safe Haven and Monique Gregoire and Nick Richard, both with NAMI St. Tammany, discussed the pandemic’s effects on mental health conditions (especially in the workforce) and provided ways to identify behaviors and obtain resources for those needing them. Listen to the recording here.
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“Learn the Facts about Camellia Bay Resort and Casino” as part of the Chamber’s continuing efforts to inform voters about parish and statewide issues. The webinar provided information about the economic, social and community impacts of the proposed Camellia Bay Resort and Casino, the single item ballot issue on the December 11th election ballot. Listen to the recording here.
The Chamber continued its proud tradition of recognizing outstanding businesses in St. Tammany at its 19th annual Business Appreciation Luncheon, presented by Lakeview Regional Medical Center and sponsored by Inside Northside and Humana, on November 18, 2021. Thirteen deserving businesses were honored in eight categories. Click here for a list of award recipients and here to view event photos. Congratulations to these award recipients!
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We are thrilled to announce a new event the Chamber has been developing. "Christmas in the State Park" will be held December 8 - 11, 2021 at the Lake D'Arbonne State Park. This will be a drive-through event beginning at the park entrance and winding through the campgrounds, then on to the tennis court area where local sponsors will be decorating. The tour will be completed at the boat launch where a food court will be located featuring local vendors.
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West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber |
The Chamber is accepting resumes for the position of Executive Director. For more information, please see the LACCE Careers page.
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ACCE has announced their 2022 Convention dates and location which will be held in-person for July 26 - 29, 2022 in Indianapolis, IN. For more information and to register, please click here.
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Click here for Bob's article - Membership Metrics. The most common membership metric is “market share,” but there are several metrics to gauge membership success.
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Institute for Organization Management |
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WACE Chamber Leadership Podcast |
Click here for the episode Dave's MUST DOs for Chamber CEOs.
Dave Kilby, President of W.A.C.E., is often asked as a part of his discussions with chamber executives what he would do if he were “in their shoes”. In this episode Dave shares 5 things he would definitely be doing to take advantage of the chamber’s stock going up and capitalize on the positive chamber image that was strengthened over the last two years.
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Should you have any questions regarding your LACCE membership, feel free to contact
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LACCE | (404) 312-0524 | www.louisianachambers.org
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