Michael Loolara, an agent with State Farm Insurance, celebrated his office’s ribbon cutting with the Central Chamber of Commerce last Saturday.  

His office is located at 8755 Sullivan Rd., Bldg 3, Ste C.

    Week before last, I started a series of articles on Economic Development.  Before we forge ahead, let’s review a few points.

    Economic development is vital for every city in our area and every city is competing in this arena. Economic Development, simply put, is wealth building.  In any community there are at least five facets of economic development that must be considered if growth is to continue to take place.  Those facets are: Workforce Education, Infrastructure, Leadership, Business Industry, and Recruitment.   This week we consider the aspect of “Workforce Education.”

    Many people might not see education as a part of economic development.  However, to see that education and economic development go hand in hand, all you have to do is look at a recent headline that read, “Chicago to Close 54 Schools.”  That is a staggering prospect!  Think of all the teachers, staff, etc. that will no longer be necessary.  Buildings, once the hub of community pride and development, will now remain empty and abandoned.   

    Bear with my ramblings for a brief moment.  When education declines or is inadequate, a quality workforce disappears; as quality a workforce disappears, business productivity is hindered; as business productivity is hindered, the economy declines; as the economy begins to decline, people begin to move; as people begin to move workforce, shoppers and clients move; as workforce, shoppers and clients move, businesses begin to close; as businesses close and people move, the tax revenues decrease; as tax revenues decrease, funding for education decreases; as funding for education decreases, education declines; as education declines….  This may be an over simplification of the process and you may see the cycle occurring in a different order but I trust that the point is clear.  Education in a community and economic development go hand in hand!  

    Among high school graduates in Louisiana, only about 27% will go on to earn a college degree and many of those will be drawn to other states.  One of the struggles our region has had for years is that we are not creating and retaining a quality workforce at all the various levels of need.  It is obvious that education must be able to accomplish a twofold task.  Education must exists that can prepare, and help increase beyond 27%, those who become the college graduate professionals.  However, equally as important, educational programs must also exist for that other 73%!  These programs must be able to prepare them to become a highly skilled and in demand workforce.  Once this is accomplished we must have jobs and incentives that help to keep these people in our state and in our area! 

    The creation of a strong and vibrant workforce is essential to the economic development and stability of our region.  Institution of government, education and commerce must work together to establish this workforce. Together and cooperatively we can create an environment that produces a strong workforce and promotes economic growth and stability for years to come.  

Ron Erickson

President – Central Chamber of Commerce

    We started looking at economic development last week.  Over the next several weeks we will continue to look at how depend upon and desperately need economic development!  

    Small business development is one of the areas that is crucial to the economic growth and stability of any thriving community.  Men and women who have the “entrepreneurial spirit” are vital to the growth of our community.  These brave people are the ones who are willing to step out on a limb, brave the on slot of financial concerns, and wade through the ever increasing mounds of governmental regulation in order to create businesses, provide jobs, and improve the overall quality of our community.  One would get the idea, from listening to the rhetoric coming out of Washington, that some in our government would love to force these types of businesses to “pack up shop”!  However, we as a community can do something about that!

    First we must support our locally owned businesses that provide jobs, pay taxes that go towards our schools and government and tirelessly give back to our community.  Secondly, we must strive to appoint people, at every level of government, who are pro small business, encourage innovation, support entrepreneurialism, and are against the continuing consumption and destruction of businesses by our government.  To conclude this week’s article I would like to pay tribute to two of our community’s entrepreneurs!

    Over the last few weeks, our community has lost two more of its business members.  Members who embodied the entrepreneurial spirit! 

    Charlie Tanksley, co-owner of Tanksley Automotive in Central, passed away March 3 at 67 years old.  Charlie Tanksley was a business owner and a supporter of the Central Chamber for several years.  Mr. Tanksley was passionate about automobiles and drag racing, at which they were very successful!  He was always willing to take the time share his experiences with you!  Thoughts are with the family and employees during this time.

    Barbara Scaffin, Co-Owner and Manager of Tiger Central, passed away on February 18, she was 70 years old.  For the several years Tiger Central has been in business, they have been a member of the Central Chamber, a supporter of our community and its events, and your source for just about anything LSU!  At Tiger Central, I can always find a wide variety of products, hear a great story and I even learned about making Christmas peppermint almond bark candy!  Are thoughts are with the family and employees during this time.

    One of the pleasures I have experienced, since coming to the chamber, is having the opportunity to become acquainted with great business entrepreneurs like Mrs. Scaffin and Mr. Tanksley.  So many of our business owners have tremendous experiences to share as to how they came about owning and continue to survive in their business.  We honor all of our community’s entrepreneurs and pray for your continued success!  Lets continue, as a community, to support the wonderful businesses in our area! 

    At last week’s Central Chamber of Commerce meeting, Moon Griffon (above) was the guest speaker.  Checks were presented at the meeting to Families Helping Families and to Scott Credur with CHS for academic letter jackets.  These checks were the result of Chamber member donations to these causes.  For more information about the Chamber of Commerce, visit www.CityOfCentralChamber.com.

    By the time you read this article I will have completed my third and final year of training at the Center for Chamber of Commerce Excellence.  Based upon my previous experience, I will return with valuable information to advance, enhance, and improve the relevance of your Central Chamber. Thanks goes out to the board for having the desire to allow me to acquire such insight in order to strengthen our organization.  Thanks to our members whose support of the chamber makes education like this possible.  

    This year I will be instructed in Economic Development, developing Governmental Affairs, Fundraising, Business Planning, and Positioning the Chamber in the community, to name just a few.

    The City of Central Chamber has come a long way in the 7 years of its incorporation.  However, we as a board and staff are striving to place your chamber in a position to be one of the top productive, recognizable and influential chambers in our region.

    Keep watching the C4 articles for information on how we will continue to improve your City of Central Chamber of Commerce.

    A free workshop series has been developed for small-business owners, nonprofits and those who prepare and respond to natural and man-made hazards. Seven workshops will be held in south Louisiana this March. Registration for each is available at centerforbusinessprep.org/news.

    Developed by LSU’s Stephenson Disaster Management Institute (SDMI) under a grant awarded by the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), with funds provided by FEMA, participants will receive hands-on training and printed materials that cover all aspects of hazard mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

    The workshop nearest Central will take place Tuesday, March 5, in Baton Rouge at the Mayor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, 3773 Harding Blvd. from 8 am-12 noon.

    Registration is limited. Breakfast and all takeaway materials are provided at no charge for this free small business training event.

    For more information contact Lexie Andrews at aandrews1@lsu.edu or 225.578.7034. Visit the CBP at http://www.centerforbusinessprep.org/news.

    Recently I received a letter from the US Chamber of Commerce on some of the tax consequences due to the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”.  Much of what was passed was done so without consideration to the hard working Americans that own small businesses. Some of our U. S. Representatives and Senators are working hard to repeal portions of this policy.  If ever there was a time to get behind these leaders and to support our local small businesses, it is now!  I offer this letter for your consideration. 

“STOP THE HIT”

    As with many of the other excise taxes included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the health insurance tax (“the HIT”) will not only affect access to coverage, but it will affect jobs and our economy.

    Small businesses account for half of private sector employment and two-thirds of the net new private sector jobs created in the United States.

    The Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) have reported that this tax will be shifted to consumers (small and family-owned businesses and individuals – those who already have the hardest time affording coverage) in the form of higher premiums.

    Unlike most taxes, PPACA dictates an aggregate amount that must be collected each year as a result of this tax: $8 billion in 2014, growing to $14.3 billion by 2018 and indexed for inflation thereafter. The cost is $101.7 billion in the first 10 years alone.

    This is money that could be spent paying employees higher wages, purchasing equipment, and hiring more employees – investments that would grow the economy and get more Americans back to work.

The tax will impact:

* 2 million (or 87%) of small businesses (business defined as those with fewer than 500 employees);

* 12 million employees and the self-employed who purchase coverage in the individual market, and;

* 26 million employees who are covered by their employer.

    For the average employee with a family plan, his or her take-home pay will be reduced (because of having to pay higher premiums) by nearly $5,000 over the next 10 years.

    In 10 years, the tax will lead to a loss of up to 250,000 jobs – nearly 60% of which will be in the small business sector, as well as the loss of U.S. sales of up to $30 billion, half of which would have been

made by small businesses.

    It will increase employee benefit costs by 15% for small businesses. According to Health Affairs, small businesses already pay on average 18% more than larger businesses do for the same benefits.

    The tax will cost each family about $500 per year, increasing premiums by as much as 3% and costing nearly $5,000 per family over the next 10 years, and assumes that employers shoulder 75% of the cost sharing.

    We are highlighting businesses that received awards at our 3rd Annual Awards & Installations Banquet held on January 10.  So far we have looked at our “New Business of the Year”, “Small Business of the Year”, “Medium Business of the Year” and “Intermediate Business of the Year”.   This week we highlight two more. 

Large Business Category Nominees:

Chick Fil A, Healthcare Options, Lancaster House, Oak Point, Raising Cane’s, Southern Power, Winn Dixie

    This Year’s winner of the large business category started their business in 1996, outside the gates of LSU.  Since that time this company has seen dynamic growth and experienced tremendous popularity.  In 2006 they brought their business to Central taking up residence in a small drive through facility on the corner of Greenwell Springs Road and Sullivan. It wasn’t long before their popularity increased in Central and it became obvious that their location wasn’t going to be adequate.  Thus, in April 2009, they opened a new location at the corner of Wax and Sullivan which now services our residence and employs over 35 full and part-time employees.  Every year they hold a highly successful school supply collection drive for area students and are constantly helping out schools and other organizations by sponsoring special promotion nights and other activities.    A continual sponsor of the chamber and its activities, and always full of “One Love” this year’s Large Business Winner – Raising Cane’s.  Congratulations to Owner Todd Graves and Central’s Manager Brad Pine and crew!

Chamber Member of the Year 2012

The 2012 Chamber Member of the Year graduated from Louisiana Tech University in 1990. Upon graduation, with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, he went to work with DSM Elastomer for 15 years as a Process Control Engineer.  In 2002, he took a giant step and started his own business, RV Cams.  In October 2012 they celebrated 10 years of operating a highly successful and profitable company that has maintained an A+ ranking from the Better Business Bureau.  This member constantly gives of his time and resources to help our chamber and our community.  Since 1992 he has served with the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Reserve Unit, rising to the rank of Lieutenant.  He joined the Chamber in 2006 and served as the Chairman of the Board in 2011 and 2012.  He serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Cooking in Central and was recently crowned the King of the “Krewe de’ Centrale Mardi Gras Ball”.  This year’s Chamber Member of the Year – Tim Lazaroe, Owner of RV Cams.