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Cenla Advantage Partnership provides knowledge, tools and leadership for the economic prosperity of Central Louisiana.

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The Art of Giving Great Customer Service

Experience“The Art of Giving Great Customer Service” from Zingerman’s -- Inc. Magazine’s  “Coolest small company in America.”  When: 6 – 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 1 or 8 – 10 a.m., Wednesday, May 2   Where: Alexandria City Hall, 915 Third Street. Limited seating; tickets required. Cost: FREE  (Normally $195.00)   Call (318) 441-3400 for tickets. Full information 

 

Don’t forget to remind customers that your seasonal business opens soon

Savvy business owners understand the importance of reminding clients in advance of their seasonal business opening. Doing this negates the risk of losing established customers and not getting new clients. People are making purchasing decisions sooner than before, so getting the word out early is critical.  Full article

 

Alexandria area continues to gain jobs

The latest report from Louisiana Workforce Commission indicates that the Alexandria area continues to reclaim jobs it lost during the economic downturn. Overall, employment rose by 10,500 in the state in March. Louisiana has added 47,300 jobs since the start of the year.   Full article

 

CLEDA names Denley to lead Business Retention and Expansion Efforts

CLEDA’s Board of Directors recently authorized hiring Wayne Denley as a full time Manager of Business Retention and Expansion.  Denley’s previous experience as contractor conducting interviews with key employers and as a coach and subject matter expert for our Business Acceleration System clients makes his entry into CLEDA seamless and allows CLEDA to quickly ramp up retention and expansion initiatives.  Full article.  

 

Small-business expo May 3 in Marksville

The Women's Business Center of Lafayette will hold a Small-Business Expo on May 3 at the Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville for individuals thinking of starting a business or those needing to expand their current companies. Topics include: Ask a Lawyer, Doing Business with the Government, SBA Financing, Credit Education, Resource Partnering and more.  Full information

 

Social media workshop Wednesday in Alexandria

The Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce is co-sponsoring a workshop with the Louisiana Small Business Development Center on "Getting Started with Social Media," from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Chamber Office, 1118 Third St. in Alexandria. The workshop will provide the basics on how to use Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, as well as the latest must-have Pinterest, to promote your business or organization at no cost.   Full article

 

Jeld-Wen to open door component manufacturing site in Dodson, Louisiana

Gov. Bobby Jindal and JELD-WEN President Philip Orsino recently announced that JELD-WEN Inc., one of the world's leading manufacturers of windows and doors, will open a $120 million Winn Parish production facility by the end of 2012. JELD-WEN will begin hiring staff in the coming months.  Full article.   

 

Cottonport firm awarded $7.1 million contract

Tarpan Construction of Cottonport recently won a $7.1 million contract from the Army Corps of Engineers. The project will build a stone dike to protect the Lake Borgne shoreline near Shell Beach. Full article

 

Figure out how to induce new habits to enhance profits

Charles Duhigg’s book, The Power of Habit:Why We Do What We Do and How to Change It,   highlights how companies can profit by understanding and tweaking employee’s routines. In the book, he cites how some of the most successful CEO’s (from varied organizations) tuned into this concept and as a result, enhanced their company’s bottom line.  Biggest concept: habits are malleable, and companies are getting better at identifying and shaping our behavior to increase profits.  Full article

 

Sutherland Global Services coming to Alexandria; plans to hire 600 employees

Gov. Jindal, Mayor Roy and local economic development officials recently indicated that Sutherland Global will open a business outsourcing center at the former StarTek building, and plan to hire some 600 employees. Average job salary will be $27,000 and will include benefits. Job categories include customer-service consultants, help-desk support technicians and mortgage underwriters.   Full article.  

 

Rapides Regional Medical Center earns trauma center accreditation

Rapides Regional Medical Center recently completed its two-year journey to become Louisiana’s first Level II Trauma Center. As a Level II trauma center, Rapides Regional Medical Center is the official treatment site for trauma cases involving falls, motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries and spinal cord injuries.  Full article.  

 

Chamber hosting workshop March 14 re: Attract & Retain Customers

The Central LA Chamber of Commerce and the LA Small Business Dev. Center will co-sponsor a free workshop titled "How to Attract and Retain Customers" today from noon to 1:30 p.m. today in the Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce office. The workshop provides advice for marketing products, techniques to attract customers and assistance for developing a marketing plan.  Full article

 

Small-business seminar at Southern University April 5

Southern University's Baton Rouge campus will be the site for a seminar on connecting small businesses with federal contracts on April 10. Sponsored by the Small Business Administration, the seminar will run from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.   Full article

 

Procter & Gamble completes $100 million expansion at Pineville facility

Procter & Gamble recently completed a $100 million expansion at their fabric care facility in Pineville. The expansion enabled the plant and the company to deliver a new product, Tide Pods, their recently released laundry product. Since 2005, P&G has more than doubled capacity at the Pineville plant, which covers nearly 1 million square feet in building space on 112 acres.   Full article.   

 

Torch Awards honor standout Cenla businesses

Randy Gilchrist, president and chief executive officer of Gilchrist Construction Co was the guest speaker at the Better Business Bureau's Sixth Annual Central Louisiana Torch Awards luncheon, recently held in Alexandria, LA. Cunningham Business Systems won the Customer Commitment Award, Kramer Funeral Home won the Integrity Award, Paragon Casino Resort won the Good Neighbor Award and United Way of Central Louisiana won the Non-Profit Award. Full article.  

 

Duke survey indicates hiring will continue to grow

A recent Duke University Fuqua School of Business survey indicated that confidence among U.S. chief financial officers rose to its highest point in a year and companies expect to increase hiring for full-time jobs by 2.1 percent over the next year.   Full article

 

Entrepreneurship 101 class at VP library

Gary Perkins and Leann Murphy recently began Entrepreneurship 101 classes at the Vernon Parish Library. The classes will continue for five additional weeks to assist business owners and entrepreneurs in building and expanding their business.  Full article. 

 

LA tax breaks cut liabilities by $4.8 billion

A recent State of LA audit indicated that individual and business tax breaks cut tax liabilities by $4.8 billion over six years. Businesses received tax cuts decreasing their tax liabilities by 55 percent from 2005 to 2010. Full article

 

LABI officials eager to work with business-friendly LA Legislature

In a recent CENLA Chamber of Commerce luncheon, LA Assoc of Business and Industry (LABI) officials indicated that they look forward to working with a "business-friendly" state Legislature. Some of the initiatives LABI supports include the creation of medical provider networks for workers' compensation cases and changing the way claims are disputed and beneficiaries are disqualified and the creation of a Workers Compensation Review Board for appeals.  Full article.  

 

Tax Foundation report ranks LA 2nd in US for new firms; 10th in US for mature firms

The Tax Foundation recently released a new 50-state analysis of business tax burdens in the U.S. that indicated Louisiana now ranks No. 2 (second-lowest state-and-local tax burden) in the U.S. for new firms and No. 10 for mature firms. Considering only Southern states, the Tax Foundation study ranks Louisiana No. 1 for new firms and No. 3 for mature firms.  Full article.  

 
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