It's not everyday that the Hammond Chamber of Commerce invites its members to "Talk Trash" over lunch, but with Sidney Torres confirmed as the keynote speaker for the Hammond Chamber Community and Business EXPO luncheon, that's exactly what we’re doing. The luncheon, which will kick off EXPO day, will be held on September 17, from 11:30am - 1:00pm at the Southeastern Louisiana University Center.
A long-time entrepreneur, Torres began honing his skills in the business world at the young age of 20 by renovating shotgun houses in New Orleans. With an eye for recognizing opportunity in the direst situation, Torres consistently and continuously reinvents his businesses to meet the challenges of the ever-changing economy.
Now, as owner of SDT Waste and Debris Services, LLC, Torres has 180+ employees, 75 trucks, and municipal contracts with the City of New Orleans, St. Bernard Parish, Tangipahoa Parish and The Village of Folsom. The company is also the largest waste services provider to Louisiana schools with contracts to serve the Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Tammany and St. John Parish school boards, LSU, UNO, Loyola University, Delgado, Dillard University as well as the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
In addition to a passion for business, Torres also has a passion for helping kids. He has donated dozens of guitars to the St. Bernard Parish Public School System for a guitar lab as part of an ongoing commitment to encourage music education in schools. He has also provided students in the surrounding school boards with thousands of tickets to the New Orleans Hornets basketball games for the last two years.
The EXPO luncheon, sponsored by Entergy, is open to the public. Tickets are $15 and available through the Hammond Chamber of Commerce. Reservations are required and seating is limited.
With operating budgets tighter than ever before, the Hammond Chamber of Commerce is offering a great solution for budget-friendly training and professional development—For the first time in its history, the Community and Business EXPO will offer educational workshops for its participants and attendees. Entitled “Breakouts for Better Business,” the workshops will offer seven business-minded sessions during the hours of 1:00pm -3:00pm at the Southeastern University Center on the day of EXPO.
“We have noticed a trend that more and more businesses are looking for educational opportunities which will enhance their business savvy and grow their bottom line,” said EXPO committee member Sandy Summers of Southeast Louisiana Business Center. “By offering these workshops, our hope is that businesses and their staff will walk away with a dose of easy-to-implement, practical advice at a great price.”
At $20 per participant, the Chamber hopes that this is an affordable option for any business. The registration fee includes admission into two 50-minute sessions of choice.
“Education will always be a priority of the Chamber,” stated Executive Director Charlotte Lenoir Banks. “Though much of educational efforts focus on elementary and high schools in our area, we are proud to offer the opportunity for businesses to learn and grow as well.”
The following courses will be offered during “Breakouts for Better Business”:
|
Professional Presence: Business Etiquette
Anna Bass
|
Discover how you can gain the sustainable competitive advantage that professional presence provides! During this session, you will learn a variety of practical tips for developing professional presence and executive etiquette skills.
|
|
Marketing : Expense or Investment
Brian Baudean
|
During this session, you will learn two major components of marketing, that marketing is math and the most important parts of marketing campaigns.
|
|
When less is more:
Creating Motivation on a Shoe-String Budget
Amy Oberschmidt
|
No budget? No raises? No problem!
In this dynamic and interactive session, based on Gallup research that includes over 80,000 interviews of key players in 400 companies and organizations throughout the world, you will have the tools you need to create an environment that attracts and retains employees.
|
|
Break the Rules and Close More Sales
Carl Herrick
|
This session will focus on teaching you to shorten the sales cycle, take control of a sales call in the first five minutes, to overcome prospecting reluctance and to increase closing ratios
|
|
Foolproof Your Investment Portfolio
Davis Brister
|
Davis will explain the five most common mistakes made in a down market and the five ways to improve your retirement planning moving forward.
|
|
Turning Networking in Networth
Tiffanie Z. Lyon
|
Some topics will include: how to make time for networking, understanding the kind of business you’re looking for, clarifying your unique selling proposition, how to set objectives, and how to maximize your time at events.
|
|
Technology Bootcamp
Ron Taylor
|
This will be a fast paced session designed to give the broad scope of available technologies, how they apply to small business, and what you need to implement them . Topics to be covered include: Internet, Email, Websites, Backup, Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, Mobile Computing, Smart Phones and much more!
|
“Breakouts for Better Business” registration forms can be found online on the Chamber’s EXPO page (http://www.hammondchamber.org/hammond-business-expo.html). Seating is limited and spaces will be reserved on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you have questions about this or future events, please contact the Chamber at 985-345-4457 or by email at chamber@hammondchamber.org.
The Hammond Chamber of Commerce will also have a golfcart donated by Ched’s Golf Cars to give away as our grand prize as well as a $500 gift card from Hammond Harley-Davidson. We are always trying to find ways to benefit our members as well as the community as a whole and this EXPO brings both business and community together under one roof. We will also have a food drive and attendees can win gift cards from area grocers. Attendees will get one ticket for every item brought donated and must be present to win the grocers gift cards. Come see us at the EXPO, there is definitely something for everyone!