City Social Magazine

MAR-APR 2017

City Social Magazine in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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28 CEO r e a d u s o n l i n e a t w w w . c i t y s o c i a l . c o m l ivingston Parish c hamber c elebrates Business 28 By: April Wehrs, President/CEO Photos provided by Livingston Parish Chamber of Commerce The Chamber's Annual Meeting attracted over 200 business leaders who attended the celebration of business through Business of the Year presentations and instal- lation of the board of directors. Any other year the event would have held excitement in itself, but consid- ering what the community just experienced less than six months ago in the wake of flood devastation, the gathering was especially indicative of the resilience of the business community. Each year the annual meeting, dubbed a celebration of business, grows. Livingston parish business has grown significantly over the past five years with significant adds to the commercial and retail sector. Each year the Chamber recognizes outstanding businesses which excel in their field. Opportunities to recognize the impact of the business community allow for an appreciation of the dedication of the business not only be good corpo- rate citizens, but to make the areas they operate in a better place. A Legacy Award was announced this year to Valery Watts, owner of V. Watts Furniture, to the family members for his business legacy and service to the community. A Community Impact award was presented to A Door of Hope for their commitment and determination in bringing a needed service that is meant to transition women in prison as well as drug treatment. The 2017 Chairman of the Board, Chad Bacas was installed at the Annual Meeting along with the 2017 Board of Directors. Brandon Landry, CEO and Co-Founder of Walk-On's was the keynote speaker sharing the sports bar's story of how it was transformed from an idea on a napkin to being ranked the #1 Sports Bar in America by ESPN. Other winners are noted in photo. At the Livingston Parish Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet. (First row) Jill Wyble, Our Lady of the Lake RMC; Kacie Stewart, Stewart Family Medicine; Shannon Bernard, Primerica; (2nd row)Amie Barton, Regions Bank; Sherry Mely, BancorpSouth; (3rd row)Todd Caruso, Attorney; Kim Sanders, L.A. Champagne & Co.,LLP; Regina Scott, North Oaks Health System; (4th row)Candy Forbes, Denham Springs Housing; Margot May, Livingston Business Journal; (Back row)John Blount, Blount General Contractors; John Holmes, Holmes Building Materials; Brian Abels, Boyer, Hebert, Abels & Angelle, LLC; Ronnie Foshee, First Guaranty Bank; April Wehrs, Chamber President/CEO; Chad Bacas, Forte & Tablada April Wehrs, Chamber President/CEO, Cheryl Rodeghero, Berkshire Hathaway Home Service Bobby Tallo Realty (New Member of Year); Tammy Hardy, V. Watts Furniture (Legacy Award, Valery Watts of V. Watts Furniture); Scott Innes, Hug Magazine (Member of the Year); Daniel Poche', Walk On's Bistreaux & Bar; Brandon Landry, Walk On's Bistreaux & Bar (New Business of the Year); Dr. Ron McMorris, Elite Chiropractic (Business of the Year-Small Category); Deric Murphy, Quality Engineering & Surveying, LLC (Business of the Year-Medium Category); Kristen Maddox, A Door of Hope (Community Impact Award) NOT PICTURED-Associate of the Year-Congress Garret Graves Chad Bacas of Forte & Tablada Receives Chairman's Award Pictured left to right: John Blount, Incoming Chamber Chairman of the Board; Chad Bacas, 2017 Chairman of the Board; April Wehrs, President/CEO; and Brian Abels, Outgoing Chairman. About the Chamber: The Livingston Parish Chamber serves all areas of Livingston parish and is the largest and oldest business organization. In 2016, the chamber celebrated 50 years of incorporation. The chamber has over 550 members and has been recognized as a state chamber of the year twice in the past five years. Signature events include a Business & Community EXPO, a Gala, Golf Outing and new in 2017 is a co-sponsor of John Maxwell's Live2Lead, a Women's Leadership Event, an Administrative Professionals luncheon. The Chamber awards scholarships annually to parish high school seniors and is also an advocate for the interest of the busi- ness community in Livingston parish.

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