Results of the work done within our chamber by both staff and volunteers are sometimes intangible. We can assure our membership by numbers, we can measure fundraising events by attendance or dollars raised, but we cannot accurately measure the results that working together collaboratively can net.
What is the sum value of ten Chambers of Commerce working together with the executive office and alumni association of a major university?
The sum is a larger presence and voice before the over 200 members of the Louisiana legislature and statewide elected officials in the Capitol Rotunda. That is just what happened Wednesday afternoon, May 13 after weeks of planning our annual “Northshore Focus” event.
The Chambers of Commerce working together included St. Tammany East and West, Lacombe, Amite, Independence, Ponchatoula, Hammond, Livingston and Bogalusa. Helping lead the way were Erin Moore-Cowser of Dr. John Crain’s office and Kathy Pittman of the Alumni Association at Southeastern Louisiana University. Together, Chamber volunteers and student interns served up strawberry shortcake to state representatives, state senators and other visitors to the Capitol that afternoon. Believe me, everyone in the building knew that the northshore parishes were there! The huge strawberry shortcake always draws a crowd but the main purpose of the event and the cake is to draw legislators and their staff to hear from all of us about the growth of the northshore region, the bills being watched by our individual governmental affairs and public policy committees, and the issues at Southeastern Louisiana University.
Our northshore region continues to experience a transformation. Population has grown, new businesses have opened, new jobs created. I have personally lived in St. Tammany West for ten years so I have now witnessed the on-going growth and change for a decade. I love living here and I know the majority of other newcomers join me in that love of their new community. But here, our transportation infrastructure needs are great, we have concerns about growing property taxes, and elsewhere in our region and our state there are issues that either do, or will ultimately, impact St. Tammany businesses and residents.
This year members of our Joint Public Policy Executive Committee are joining our hired advocate in Baton Rouge on a daily basis during the legislative session. The Northshore Business Council and East and West St. Tammany Chambers are unified in our voice of business.
We all have a vested interest in what happens here as well as in surrounding cities, parishes and throughout our state.