Town Talk Church Point
Town Talk Church Point
Driving Growth and Development: A Conversation with Megan, CEO of Acadia Parish Chamber of Commerce
Ready to uncover the unique personality and thriving business environment of Church Point? Join us as we engage in a captivating conversation with Megan, the dynamic CEO of the Acadia Parish Chamber of Commerce. Discover how this extraordinary woman is driving the evolution of this vital organization, tirelessly striving to cultivate a prosperous local business landscape. Learn about the Chamber's essential role in connecting and benefiting businesses, the priceless advantages of membership, and the exciting events it organizes.
Find out about the Chamber's strategic partnerships with organizations like Church Point Community Development Corporation and how this collaboration is yielding remarkable results. Hear about the intriguing culture of Church Point and why its proximity to other cities is a boon. Megan also gives us an inside look at the Chamber's board operations and reveals how businesses gain tremendously from Chamber resources. We wrap up by appreciating the invaluable role the Chamber plays in our community and how it's always ready to assist. Join us on this enlightening journey as we celebrate Megan's dedication and hard work in driving her hometown's growth and development.
It is another town talk podcast. It's Chris, mayor Spanky and another special guest we have with us on this episode. We have Megan, the CEO of a Katie at Parrish Chamber of Commerce. Welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:Thanks for coming. I know Spanky was excited.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, podcasting.
Speaker 1:We've been doing a lot of stuff, we've been talking to a lot of different people and I think we were both excited to hear a little bit from the Parrish, because we talk a lot about the issues that are happening here in town and we get questions from Residents that sometimes we address. And now we get to talk a little bit about the Parrish and I think maybe we start there, give us a little background of the Chamber of Commerce. How did it start? What are y'all doing now?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we are now the Acadia Parrish Chamber of Commerce. Back in 2018 we were the former Crowley Chamber of Commerce. So we our board at the time was having lots of conversation. You know, our membership footprint went beyond Crowley. We were serving those beyond Crowley and we also kind of had the realization that our more rural areas of the Parrish Didn't really have that voice of business for them, didn't really have that support. So it was kind of a natural move, a natural name change, and so our board decided to start conversations and we went from the Crowley Chamber of Commerce to the Acadia Parrish Chamber of Commerce. So we are now a chamber and the designated economic development organization for the Parrish. So two hats, one head.
Speaker 2:Which is it keeps us busy, but it's exciting stuff and we've got some cool things going on. You know, I think not many realize the true mission of a Chamber of Commerce, and what a Chamber of Commerce is here for and I say this to my board a lot and they laugh at me, but we are not. I like to tell everyone we are not the pancake breakfast Christmas Parade. Chamber of Commerce.
Speaker 2:You know, I want the Parrish to know, and those you know on the outskirts of the Parrish to know, that we want to be that toolkit, we want to be that resource for small business, whether no matter where they're at in their business life cycle. If it's just an entrepreneur looking to start a business, if it's an existing business facing some challenges, we as a chamber want to be there and be able to answer the questions, make the connections. I'm gonna present those business owners with the resources they need. So that's our main goal. You know our mission is to promote a thriving business environment in Acadia, parrish. So that's what our mission is and our program of work and everything kind of stems around that and how do you see church point into that plan?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I mean obviously, church point is in Acadia, parrish so they y'all are in our service area. We are here a lot and I will say I went to Notre Dame. I'm from Crowley and prior to us kind of making this transition, I had been to church point for church point, marty girl, just like everybody I hadn't truly visited and been to church point.
Speaker 2:So over the last five years you know, since we made that name change I've been here quite a bit. I've loved it, my family loves it, my friends love it. It's just, it's a great place to be with its own unique culture, its own unique personality and makeup industry makeup. So church point can 100% benefit from us and what we have to offer. You know we've got a really great working relationship with the church point community development corporation Trying to partner with them on a few more things here.
Speaker 2:So you know we can be out and about here and prevalent and I think a lot of your church point natives have also benefited from our leadership Excel program myself and you yourself included. So that's a really great asset that we have long on that we can offer to everyone here and throughout the parish and the thing About church point is we know where we are.
Speaker 3:We don't have that in a state. 10. Sure but the thing about it is is that's where you come in, for those businesses that may want to be next to Interstate 10, those all field companies, those this, that and the other, and those people hire people.
Speaker 3:Yep and if they're closer to church point, a lot of people don't want to live by the interstate, you know. So that's where we come in. You know, like I've always said, you don't have to be number one All the time, I just need to pick up the crumbs behind it. You know like if you get that twenty million dollar business going to attend, that's gonna benefit church point in some way somehow. Even if it's five people that are moving to this area to go work over there, that's gonna live three or four miles out of town. That's a benefit to church point because that person is gonna come in and they're gonna go to rods, they're gonna go to pay the way that they're gonna go to son is and that's how we make our money, that's how we grow.
Speaker 3:That's to say that we're gonna get that all feel. Come to church. Point slim to none, Right, but you can get some of those crumbs you can get a blister that poms. Exactly, I don't need the whole pie. I didn't want a piece of it.
Speaker 2:And I'm a firm believer in realizing what your assets are and realizing what you're good at, and start kicking it and kick the you know what out of it.
Speaker 3:And that's where we're at over. Here is when you leave church, point. I can be the crowd in 20-ish minutes, I can be the rain in 10 to 15, and I can be the Lafayette in 25. You know so, this is a place where and that's where we're trying to design it as is a place to live and then you go to work and drive the Lafayette and work or drive you know wherever down the inner state.
Speaker 3:That's what we're looking at, you know, and that's where we work hand in hand because of those things, you know.
Speaker 2:And y'all got some great local drivers here too.
Speaker 3:I mean, you've got church point wholesale here, reshorts, Cajun traditions I mean, and we've added Cajun traditions in the last few years, but that's what I'm saying. That was a huge shot in the arm for church point with 30 jobs. You know that to Lafayette that, oh okay, I don't know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:But to us that's a big thing and that's not something that comes up every day for us, you know, like that was a wow, that's this big time right here, you know. But, like I said, inner state is where you have a lot. I mean, that's the business inner state in the country, you know, I mean, and we have a significant part of it in Louisiana.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, absolutely. I have a question for you, Megan how do you feel like what's the state of Acadia Parish right now, and how and where do you think we can grow as a parish?
Speaker 2:Sure, I think coming out of post COVID we are in an incredible. No one likes to see word, I mean no one wants to talk about it, but coming out of it I think we are prime for development. I mean, you see dirt turning in all corners of the parish, the investment that we've seen pumping in the parish since the pandemic, a lot of those private dollars that people you know. You've seen small business in itself emerge since the pandemic.
Speaker 2:So that's one indicator we've been seeing. There's been a ton of residential development in the parish, being that people don't want to live in Lafayette. Lafayette's quickly outgrown itself, like Charles is. I mean they're building back up from the hurricane and the disasters that they've seen. But I think we have capitalized significantly on the residential development in the rural areas and all like you said, all along I-10 corridor. We're seeing expansion right now.
Speaker 2:But I think we're prime for development. We've got a lot of investment flowing around and I don't think it's doom and gloom over here in the case of the parish, oh no.
Speaker 3:No, I think we're on our way up. I mean Crowley's looking good, raines looking good, church Boys looking good. I mean iota's. I went to iota. They got a lot of nice stuff over there too. I mean we were running a certain way for a long time and I think we're coming out of it.
Speaker 3:You know, there's a lot of younger people coming you know, with new ideas, and I see this all the time that Two kit that I used my first year will not work by the eighth year. Right, you know. And what happens is human nature. Is this work before? I'm going to keep on doing it that way, but in this business of government it changes yearly. Yeah, so you cannot. You have to keep on adding to your tool chest. Sure you don't go back to the way it was. You know, right you?
Speaker 1:got to figure something different out If that makes any sense.
Speaker 3:You know like it because it's always changed. You got to keep moving forward, just like everything else.
Speaker 2:Absolutely yeah. So that's a cool factor that we as an organization can play into. So our board annually will meet with our board, kind of set some priorities, set some goals for the coming year and we act as a lot of things but we also act as that liaison between the public and private sector. So one of our goals for the coming year is to create a small business toolkit, so smart, reaching out to all of the municipalities, see what it takes for a business to come in.
Speaker 1:Do they?
Speaker 2:need X permit, x license, occupational license, what have you? And it all differs based off of municipality. Not every municipality does it the same way, but we're looking to help simplify that process from the business side on, playing with the government side, making sure that there's no red tape. We don't want red tape for business and there shouldn't be red tape for business.
Speaker 2:You know I had to make a phone call last week for a business owner who was relocating in a municipality and was waiting on an occupational license, was waiting on the permitting and was waiting on that permitting to trigger the building inspection. So you know, we love being able to step in and be that voice for them whenever you know they don't want to. You know, make the phone call to that mayor, make the phone call to that council member, someone within the government. We thoroughly, you know, appreciate and enjoy them reaching out and be like hey, we need some help.
Speaker 1:And so we like acting as that.
Speaker 2:you know liaison form too, but we're all about less red tape.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's the best way. I mean make it easier and it makes everything easier, it does.
Speaker 2:You know, look at, invest money, you know, in your community and maybe your downtown area or in a rural part of your parish, and they're willing to do it. So let's, let's make it easy.
Speaker 3:Well, that's right. I mean, that's the number one rule of the game is, when it's when the sale is there, you sell. Yeah, you don't say you know say I'll call you in a week and see if you still interested. You know you're interested.
Speaker 1:We want to sell it right now. You know, and I know we're going to talk about some of the events coming up. One is the gumbo cookoff. But if someone is interested in being a part of this, like what is y'all's process to be a part of the Acadia Paris Chamber, how does that work?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we are. Like I said we are. Organization is partially funded by event revenue. The other part is partially funded by membership revenue. So we are in a membership system. Reach out to us, give us a call. And that's another cool thing. We fully realize that membership is not a one size fits all and so we're happy to tailor a membership to what the business owner is looking for. So we realize the coffee shops not going to need the same things from the chamber as the manufacturing facility or the hospital or our larger corporations. So there are different needs depending on and we are happy and always do tailor that to their needs. So give us a call.
Speaker 2:We love to sit down. We always sit down with potential members, visit with them, figure out what they're looking for out of membership, what we can do for them, and go from there tailor it and get them involved. There are many ways to get involved. Like I said, we have you mentioned events. We have four big events throughout the year. We have quarterly events because we also realize that, you know, not everyone could attend events at any times of the day. So we've got breakfast, we've got luncheons, we've got after hours. That whole events piece is a great networking and educational option. Those networking opportunities are super important for business owners because we realize that people do business with people. They know, I know it. We love to create that platform for our business owners and our community members to make sure that, you know, they have that networking there and they're able to make those connections with people.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about that big fundraiser that's coming up the Gumbo Cookoff man the. Thing that everyone loves around here yeah, Gumbo Hopefully it's gonna be cool weather. That's right, that's right right.
Speaker 2:We hope for that. We've had it both ways. We've been sweating some years and last year, you know, they had a rainstorm, blow three walls. My teams are getting ready the morning of, so we're sitting there underneath tents holding down tents as the storms blew through. But we're hoping for nice weather. So October 28th, Rice Festival, is obviously not this weekend but next weekend. So spirits are high, people are excited. We carry that into the next weekend. It's a bye week, football week. It should be LSU annual. Should we have a bye week?
Speaker 1:So we always do that, we always do that.
Speaker 2:But October 28th, downtown Crowley and the Enterprise Center grounds we are still accepting teams, but we have a great day of some friendly competition. I think we had about 34 teams last year. Categories both homemade and jar roux, for both seafood and non-seafood categories. So we've got four categories. It gets very competitive. We have people who've been cooking since the beginning and they hold their own. They get very competitive. Gates open at 11, horst Traum Austin Express.
Speaker 1:It's also gonna be playing force at 11.
Speaker 2:He always does a great job. He played force last year. He had fun, we had fun. So we were like, let's just do it again. So he'll start at 11. The gumbo's always ready for noon. But fun for the whole family, fun jumps, face painting for the kids and obviously delicious gumbo All you can eat for $10. I mean, that's a lot of gumbo. And you taste some good ones, and you taste some bad ones.
Speaker 3:Yeah, oh well. I've been to those before, but we got some great judges that come in.
Speaker 2:It's blind judging, so they don't know who's gumbo they're tasting. It's a great day. We wind down normally mid afternoon with some awards. Best decorated booth, would you first through third in each category and then a people's choice so? They can text the code and vote on their overall favorite Cool.
Speaker 3:Being that you're a group of two, like two workers, that's gotta be a stressful day. Yes, it is.
Speaker 2:It's a very stressful day because festivals. Obviously, this weekend we host a small little private event leading up to festival for our higher level members.
Speaker 1:We call it an investor, social.
Speaker 2:So we've got that going on. My co-worker is gonna kill me cause I'm leaving for a conference.
Speaker 3:Oh man.
Speaker 2:The 16th or the 18th, so I'm gonna be going for a little bit. So, it's a lot of planning. It's good We've got a lot of help from our board.
Speaker 1:Wonderful people like Willie that I just talked to.
Speaker 2:And here and I failed to mention that too We've got a board of directors. I serve at the leisure of my wonderful board of directors. We're a board of 13 that services 13. That represents all corners of the parish, all industry.
Speaker 2:So we always make sure that it's weighed out. Nice. We've got ag, industry, manufacturing, everything that you can think of covered on the board. So we've got their wonderful help and volunteerism, which we appreciate so much. And then, obviously, we've got some great sponsors your own church point, wholesale Shop, frights Back O Plus is our title sponsor for this event, to which we could not do it without them. But we're looking forward to a great day.
Speaker 3:That's right.
Speaker 1:So Gumbo Cook Off coming up soon. Do you want to mention any other events that you have throughout the year or kind of look forward to a few that's coming up?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so outside of that, like I said, we have four main events right after that. In January, january 18th, we have our wonderful Farmers Appreciation Dinner. I was at the Rice Festival Building in Crowley. We've got people walking in and waiters. I mean it's a great day and our agricultural industry is so huge for this parish, I mean, with over 80,000 acres of rice produced and harvested, just in the parish alone.
Speaker 2:It's the no brainer that we honor our farmers and those in the industry. So it's a great event. Great food, there's beer. I mean you can't go wrong. It's a great evening. So January 28th we'll start some promotion on that soon. You can reach out to our office too.
Speaker 1:Cool, and what's the number? You got a website, social media, yeah check us out.
Speaker 2:We got Instagram Facebook Katie Apparish Chamber. Our website is at KatieApparishChamberorg. Office number 337-788-0177. It also rolls to my cell phone, so if you don't catch me in the office, you'll catch me on my cell phone.
Speaker 3:Thank you for all you do and keep on going. It's not an easy job, I know it. It just you got to keep moving forward.
Speaker 2:I know I love it and I love my hometown and I love my parish, so it makes it much worth it.
Speaker 1:Yes, ma'am, Awesome. Well, thank you both, ma'am. I mean I know you're going to be here Always here for our town tour. That's right, Megan. Thank you so much and hopefully you all enjoyed it. And again, any questions, any issues you'd like to bring up for us to talk about on the podcast, you can message us on our town of Church Point Facebook page.