LAPLACE — More than 20 people were inducted as Officers and Board members for the River Region Chamber of Commerce.

The inductions were part of an annual banquet held Wednesday afternoon at the St. John the Baptist Community Center in LaPlace.

Officers, Board members, sponsors and investors gathered at the center to enjoy food, celebrate the change in administration and hear what can be expected of the Chamber for the coming year.

Officers include Annette Wray of Cox Communications as chairwoman, Nathan Stein with NP Stein CPA as past chair, Ralph Phillip of Valero St. Charles Refinery as vice chair, Kim Bourgeois of Louisiana Federal Credit Union as chair elect, Aaron Cancienne of Postlethwaite & Netterville as treasurer and Perry Waguespack of Preferred Home Mortgage as secretary.

As the new chairwoman, Wray said she is looking forward to being more visible in the community.

“I want to be more visible with Parish leaders, our industry leaders and our education leaders,” she said. “I think if we could meld together to work as a team, it will be our first positive impact moving forward.”

With a new year and a new administration, there are a few goals the Chamber has for the River Parishes to ensure those involved “grow, strengthen and unify business in St. James, St. John and St. Charles Parish.”

“Work force development is primary,” Wray said.

“We’ve got to have the work force to go with the growth in the Parishes. We also want to work with small business. So many of us work in our business versus (on our business).

“The Chamber wants to take the opportunity to help these business owners and managers work on their businesses to help them grow and stay here in the Parishes.”

Wray said the Chamber means support for businesses.

“It means value and it means working as a team,” she said. “We have to work together. There are three Parishes, it’s a big feat but we’ve laid the ground work so now we have to make sure that we, all together, keep our goals in our front view.”

The vision statement of the River Region Chamber of Commerce is building relationships to impact and improve the quality of life through strong leadership that advocates a pro-business environment in St. Charles, St. James, and St. John parishes.

Wray wants the community to be more aware of the Chamber and what it offers.

“We’ve got to do a better job of getting out there and having our businesses understand that we are a resource,” she said.

“For all sizes of businesses, we are a resource to help with their financial end, their marketing end, any type of resource that they need to grow within this Parish.”

Executive director Chassity McComack said there are more than 340 businesses, which represent approximately 16,000 people in the Chamber.

“We will continue to be a Chamber that puts credibility and community building first while delivering your most valued benefits, public policy, advocacy and networking with excellence,” McComack said.

“We look forward to building a lasting legacy, cultivating an identity that shines as bright at the River Region itself.”

2016 Board members are Paul Aucoin, Bryan Colclough, Glen Duncan, Penny Freeman, Steven Fraker, Angela Golden, Wesley Hawley, Kevin Hebert, Bill Ironside, Kerry Jones, Kent Lomax, Rhonda Louque, Michael Palamone, Stephen Robinson, Tommy Scott, Gary Silbert, Bill Simoni, Gloria Trahan, Jordan Tremblay and Wayne Vicknair Jr.

The Chamber office is located at 390 Belle Terre Blvd. in LaPlace. For those seeking more information, call 985-359-9777 or log onto to riverregionchamber.org.