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Greetings River Parishes. It is hard to believe we are in June, days away from summer. I hope you are staying safe, avoiding the next iteration of COVID and managing rising costs and the disrupted supply chain. With summer vacation beginning, I want to give a special thanks to the teachers, administrators and school employees for navigating the 2021-22 school year for our children. Congratulations to the many graduates in our parishes, leaving college for the next step on their career journey, completing high school and entering college, starting a career, or joining the military and the middle and elementary students graduating to new schools. It cannot be overstated how resilient our teachers and students are for their efforts this past year.

It may be vacation for some, but your chamber is thriving and growing and very busy connecting businesses and governments to each other. We just completed the Hurricane Preparedness Seminar with a huge thanks to Entergy (our sponsor) and to Mark Johnson, Chamber Board Member who facilitated this important event. As we begin what is expected to be an above average hurricane season, we are well aware that thousands of residents and businesses continue to recover from Ida. I can promise you I am much more attentive to the checklist and steps to prepare!

Later this month, the Chamber is hosting a Reverse Trade show which provides a key opportunity for small local and regional businesses to connect with industry and government. This is a highly requested event the Business Development committee was eager to resume post-pandemic.

As reported previously, committee execution and member engagement will drive the chamber forward. Membership is steadily increasing but not yet to pre-pandemic levels. Our ambassadors are working to retain current members and increase new members. If you want to build your networking and business development skills, co-chairs Danaya Gathers and Michele Millet welcome your energy and participation. Our policy committee is sponsoring a Parish Presidents Forum in August, an event that consistently attracts high attendance and serves in the true spirit of regionalism having all three parish leaders in attendance giving important updates on their respective parishes. The Workforce Development committee continues to provide a platform for all three school systems to meet and discuss training needs provided to help create a qualified future workforce for our business and industry.

Information on these committees can be found on our website at www.riverregionchamber.org.

 

Looking forward events to bookmark and add to your calendar include the following:

• Reverse Trade Show Thursday June 30, 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
• Parish Presidents Forum, Aug. 19, 8:30 a.m.
• Chamber Golf Tourney, Sept. 26, 7 a.m. & 1 p.m.
• Women’s Empowerment, Nov. 9, 10 a.m.

 

Again, my ask of you is to support your chamber by following us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and bookmarking our chamber website. Attend events and volunteer your time and energy. We need you and I am confident you will benefit from engaging.  My expectation of our team is to be the catalyst for a regional approach to networking and collaboration that builds community, reinforces growth and responds to your needs.  I look forward to hearing from you.

 

 

Scott Burton is the 2022 Chairman of the Board for the River Region Chamber of Commerce. He can be reached directly at scott.burton@coxmedia.com.