Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce

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The News Room is seperated into five categories: Chamber News, Public Policy (governmental affairs) News, Community News, Economic Development News and Member News.

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Chamber News
Date	Story
7/28/2010	The Advertiser: Budget woes not over Budget challenges defined the 2010 Legislative session, but those will likely pale in comparison to deficits and cuts looming in 2011, area lawmakers said Tuesday.
7/27/2010	CHAMBER HOSTS LOCAL LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION "I've been coming to this event for ten years. This is the first time I've seen the delegation this eager and excited to be working with the Chamber,” said Executive Committee member Flo Meadows, following the Legislative Recap breakfast on July 27.
7/15/2010	The Advocate: Rally set to malign Gulf ban Organizers of a planned rally at the Cajundome next week to protest the federal moratorium on oil-and-gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico are predicting a massive turnout.
7/15/2010	U.S. Chamber Statement on New Moratorium Karen Harbert, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy, today issued the following statement in response to press reports that the Obama Administration is issuing a new moratorium on offshore drilling:
7/14/2010	The Advocate: Commission named Panel to analyze Lafayette government A commission that will have the power to restructure local government is scheduled to begin meeting next week, after the City-Parish Council and City-Parish President Joey Durel made appointments on Tuesday.
6/28/2010	Chamber’s Moratorium Message Delivered To U.S. Congress Dave Welch, Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce Chairman, testified before the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Thursday in Washington, D.C.
6/28/2010	U.S. Chamber Calls for Lifting Ban on Gulf Oil Drilling Following a meeting with Gulf region business leaders in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce today intensified its efforts to convince the Obama administration to reconsider its six-month standstill on offshore exploration in the Gulf of Mexico.
6/17/2010	The Advertiser: Lift the deepwater moratorium Lafayette leaders are mobilizing against the sixth-month moratorium on deepwater drilling, which is among President Barack Obama's responses to the BP Deepwater Horizon spill.
6/17/2010	The Advertiser: Resolution rejects drilling moratorium Amid concerns about the trickle-down effect on the local economy, the City-Parish Council unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday night opposing a six-month moratorium on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
6/3/2010	CHAMBERS SPEAK OUT AGAINST OIL AND GAS MORATORIUM The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce is in opposition to President Barack Obama's announced call for a moratorium of oil and gas exploration in the Gulf of Mexico.
5/20/2010	The Advertiser: Chamber site gets face-lift Work will begin within the next few weeks on the offices of the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce as its East St. Mary Boulevard building gets a facelift.
5/12/2010	Lafayette Listed as a City Surviving the Recession Lafayette is in honored company as one of 20 cities listed as surviving the recession in an on-line article by Yahoo! Finance.
5/7/2010	Ribbon Cutting Record for the Preservation Celebration Downtown Lafayette Wow! It's a record for your Chamber: 5 ribbon cuttings in 1 hour.
4/28/2010	Chamber Continues Push for Comprehensive Plan The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce maintained its move to have Lafayette parish implement a comprehensive community plan through its April Eggs 'N' Issues program.
4/22/2010	Chamber Reports on FiberFete The Lafayette Story will be told worldwide with the success of the first annual FiberFete. It was all about the Fiber to the Premises initiative in our community. For details visits these internet news sites.
4/14/2010	MORE FIBER IN LAFAYETTE’S DIET A unique event in a unique city in Louisiana is set for April 20-22, 2010. The event is FiberFête. The city is Lafayette, a community that redefines cutting edge in terms of information technology, fiber infrastructure, and innovative thinking all the while retaining a culture and lifestyle that is unique in Louisiana and America.
3/24/2010	The Advertiser: Concerns about charter aired Questions about whether consolidated government has had a negative effect on the city of Lafayette dominated City-Parish President Joey Durel's first town hall meeting about the Home Rule Charter on Monday.
3/24/2010	The Advertiser: Officials: Be counted Without a full count, the chances of receiving full benefits are slim.
3/24/2010	The Advocate: Officials: Census urgent Community leaders on Tuesday urged residents to complete the 2010 Census forms now arriving in mailboxes, saying federal and state dollars and more representation in the Legislature hinge on an accurate population count.
3/10/2010	The Advertiser: Council puts off deconsolidation decision The Lafayette City-Parish Council delayed a decision Tuesday night on whether to put an item to repeal the city-parish charter on the Nov. 2 ballot.
3/7/2010	The Advertiser: Deconsolidation divides: City-Parish Council members split on putting separation up for vote In their two years as City-Parish Council members, the nine men who hold those seats have been tasked with making many big decisions effecting the current state and future growth of Lafayette.
3/7/2010	The Advertiser: Let people vote on deconsolidation On Tuesday, the Lafayette City-Parish Council is scheduled to answer a question: Should Lafayette voters be asked whether to undo consolidation, to separate the Lafayette city and Lafayette Parish governments that merged in 1996?
2/25/2010	Chamber urges council to delay vote on charter repeal ordinance The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce is urging the Lafayette City-Parish Council to table an ordinance to place a repeal of the city-parish Home Rule Charter on the Nov. 2 ballot.
2/25/2010	The Advertiser: Chamber urges vote delay The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday publicly urged the City-Parish Council to delay a vote on whether to place a repeal of the city-parish Home Rule Charter on the Nov. 2 ballot.
2/9/2010	Business organizations to announce joint effort on higher education reform The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce will join a group of approximately twenty statewide business organizations tomorrow to make a joint announcement about Louisiana's higher education reforms.
2/9/2010	CHAMBER MEETING WITH AREA LEGISLATORS With the opening of the annual state legislative session only weeks away, Chamber President Rob Guidry and lobbyist Gifford Briggs have been meeting with members of the area delegation.
2/5/2010	Chamber Opposes Becker’s Nomination to the National Labor Relations Board Chamber President Rob Guidry is urging Louisiana Senators Mary Landrieu and David Vitter to vote against the nomination of Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
2/3/2010	CHAMBER SUCCESSFULLY LOBBIED FOR LUS RATE INCREASE Chamber spokesmen Rob Guidry and Bruce Conque spent time this week visiting with Lafayette City-Parish Councilmen explaining the benefits of allowing the Lafayette Utilities System to raise its rates to customers.
2/3/2010	The Advertiser: Hands-on learning New Iberia's nutria Pierre C. Shadeaux did not see his shadow on Tuesday, but many professionals around Acadiana were a little luckier.
2/3/2010	The Advertiser: Repeal of charter proposed All voters in Lafayette Parish, including those in its municipalities, may have the opportunity this fall to decide whether to stick with the current form of city-parish government.
2/2/2010	The Advertiser: Durel, Savoie give State of Parish address Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel and UL President Joseph Savoie presented the 2010 State of the Parish address earlier today at the Cajundome Convention Center.
1/26/2010	CHAMBER MEMBERS PARTICIPATE IN WASHINGTON ENERGY ROUNDTABLE Six oil and gas executives from Lafayette contributed their thoughts on the state of the energy industry during a recent roundtable in Washington D.C.
1/25/2010	The Advertiser: Will Chamber be leader of the PAC? Each winter, those who follow current events here keep an eye on the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce's annual banquet.
1/22/2010	Help Support Lafayette's Future Business Leaders The members and staff of the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce will expand their involvement with Lafayette Parish education in 2010.
1/19/2010	EDITORIAL: Chamber leaders look to future Do you spend much time thinking about the future?
1/18/2010	The Advertiser: These local innovators lead the pack Building a community of innovators has been the mantra of the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, and on Monday the chamber will honor companies and agencies helping to do just that.
1/18/2010	The Advertiser: Welch takes the helm Compared to many of his contemporaries on the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, Dave Welch is a relative newcomer to Lafayette. But he brings a world of experience, said chamber president and CEO Rob Guidry.
1/14/2010	Chamber Encourages Job Shadowing With LPSS Academies Here's your opportunity to see a "shadow” on Ground Hog Day.
1/14/2010	The Advertiser: Chamber studying charter issues When City-Parish Council lines are redrawn in 2011, city of Lafayette residents could find themselves in a minority and lose control over city-only services, Bruce Conque, Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce vice president of government relations, said Tuesday.
1/12/2010	The Advertiser: Fuel option touted Dozens of fleet operators looking to save money on fuel got an introduction to a cheaper and cleaner alternative Monday.
1/12/2010	The Advocate: Natural gas vehicles pushed The Louisiana Oil and Gas Association is hoping to persuade Lafayette city-parish government and local companies to convert enough vehicles to natural gas to support a special refueling station.
1/6/2010	CHAMBER INVOLVED IN UMC MEETING Representative of the Chamber participated in a gathering of healthcare professionals this week seeking solutions to the potential loss of funding for University Medical Center in Lafayette.
12/22/2009	AP: List of Happiest States in America Starts with Louisiana... The top five happiest states in America are Louisiana, Hawaii, Florida, Tennessee and Arizona.
12/9/2009	CHAMBER PARTICIPATES IN BRIEF ON COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING Several representatives of the Lafayette Chamber were in attendance last night for a presentation on comprehensive planning hosted by City-Parish Councilman Brandon Shelvin.
12/4/2009	Leadership Lafayette Class XXIII Announced Leadership Institute of Acadiana and the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce proudly announce the newly selected leadership class:
11/30/2009	CHAMBER BACKS RATE INCREASE PROPOSAL FOR LAFAYETTE UTILITIES SYSTEM The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce is supporting the Lafayette Utilities System rate increase proposal. That proposal is being placed on the City-Parish Council agenda by the Lafayette Consolidated Government administration.
11/24/2009	CHAMBER HOSTS HEALTH ISSUE ROUNDTABLE U.S. Senator David Vitter called upon the Lafayette Chamber to host a roundtable discussion of the current landmark healthcare reform bill.
11/11/2009	ORIENTATIONS DRAW ENTHUSIASTIC CROWD Two new member orientations and a similar session for newly elected and appointed Board members drew large crowds today.
11/2/2009	Chamber Blood Drive On Wed., Nov. 11, 2009 The Greater Lafayette Chamber Of Commerce will be hosting a blood drive to benefit Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center.
11/2/2009	The Advertiser: Chamber to host media executive In its quest to build a cutting-edge community, the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce will turn to the publication credited for revolutionizing the newspaper industry.
7/27/2010	The INDsider: Lafayette chamber re-energizes The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce is bringing its Energy Division back into its programming, promoting and protecting not only the oil and gas industry but also encouraging the development of alternative sources of energy.
7/22/2010	Post Rally Coverage Interested in post rally coverage?
7/22/2010	RALLY FOR ECONOMIC SURVIVAL ALLOWS “REAL” CONVERSATION It was obvious from the time the doors opened at the Cajundome for the Rally for Economic Survival yesterday that the crowd arrived eager to make a statement.
1/20/2010	The Advertiser: Area chamber looking at starting PAC The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce plans to be more involved in politics this year, as evidenced by a major announcement at the chamber's annual banquet on Monday.
1/19/2010	The Advertiser: Celebrating innovation Those were the five pillars that USA Today discovered when it looked at how the U.S. would emerge from the recent recession.
1/11/2010	The Advertiser: Chamber targets policy After taking on several controversial issues in 2009, the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce plans to use its collective muscle to steer future government issues in 2010.
7/22/2010	Rally Held in Lafayette, La. Opposing Drilling Moratorium A rally opposing the federal moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico was held today at the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana.
7/21/2010	RALLY OPPOSING DRILLING MORATORIUM DRAWS 11,000 The Rally for Economic Survival today at the Cajundome allowed 11,000 attendees to express their frustration and fear over the federal drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico.
1/14/2010	The Advertiser:Charter changes eyed The Home Rule Charter requires the Lafayette City-parish Council to redraw its council districts based on the 2010 census results at least six months before the next council election.
1/11/2010	The Advertiser: Chamber prepares to install leaders The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce will usher in new leadership later this month.
7/26/2010	Wall Street Journal: DRILL BAN CLASHES WITH LOCAL ECONOMY The first Shrimp and Petroleum Festival was held here in 1935, when this southern Louisiana city was known as the "world capital of jumbo shrimp" and catching them employed two-thirds of the town.
Public Policy News
Date	Story
6/17/2010	Lt. Governor Angelle Discusses Moratorium at ARA Meeting Lt. Governor Scott Angelle met with almost 300 attendees Thursday to discuss the impact of the federal offshore drilling moratorium at the general membership meeting of the Acadiana Regional Alliance (ARA) which was held at the Petroleum Club of Lafayette.
6/14/2010	The Independent: GEST pushes back against drilling moratorium The Gulf Economic Survival Team, formed by Lt. Gov. Scott Angelle at the request of Gov. Bobby Jindal, is trying to ratchet up pressure on the Obama administration to lift its moratorium on deepsea drilling.
6/7/2010	The Advertiser: Industry on Edge A shutdown of offshore drilling in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico threatens to weaken a pillar of Lafayette's economy, where the oil and gas industry creates thousands of jobs.
6/3/2010	The Advertiser: Chamber supports four key proposals Four bills still being considered in the Legislature have gotten the backing of the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, according to a news release Friday.
5/24/2010	One of the Chamber's Areas of Influence, Compressed Natural Gas gains More Momentum. The Advertiser: Group looks at fuel options An alternative fuel that has been successful in cities such as Fort Worth, Texas, could be widely used and available in Lafayette in the coming years.
5/21/2010	The Advertiser: Natural gas car stops in city The idea of using compressed natural gas to run vehicles is gaining popularity in Lafayette, with the Thursday visit from a Chevrolet Tahoe that runs on the fuel and a recent grant application to build a CNG refueling station in the city.
3/30/2010	The Advertiser: Chamber PAC eyes session A Lafayette business group hopes to use the power of politics to bring home precious dollars during the upcoming legislative session.
3/1/2010	The Advocate: Businesses ready to fight gas limits Business interests are mustering forces to fight proposed federal greenhouse gas limits that some say could devastate the state's manufacturing and oil-and-gas sectors.
3/1/2010	The Advocate: Greenhouse gas limit opposition emerging Business interests are mustering forces to fight proposed federal greenhouse gas limits that some say could devastate the state's manufacturing and oil-and-gas sectors.
2/23/2010	The Advertiser: City's future debated With a City-Parish Council vote on whether to let Lafayette Parish voters decide the future of consolidation looming, residents got the chance to hear about possible options and consequences during a town hall meeting Monday evening.
2/23/2010	The Advocate: Forum focuses on control Frustration about rural voters holding too much sway over government services within Lafayette city limits is driving much of the debate on whether Lafayette Parish should return to separate city and parish governments.
11/30/2009	The Advertiser: Lafayette is on energy's cutting edge In my July column, I wrote, "The stage is set for the transformation from an oil-supplied transportation system to a natural gas supplied transportation system."
11/30/2009	The Advocate: Lafayette to fight for accurate census count A new committee is working to boost participation in the upcoming census with the hope that Lafayette Parish will not lose out on millions of dollars in funding and a chance at more seats in the Legislature.
1/11/2010	The Advertiser: Lafayette in line for natural gas pump stations City buses, dumptrucks and fleet vehicles in Lafayette soon could be filling up with the same fuel that powers stoves, water heaters and barbecue pits.
Economic Development News
Date	Story
7/9/2010	The Advocate: Lafayette starting gas plan A push to bring more natural-gas-powered vehicles to the city is moving forward after city-parish government received a $1 million infusion from the state to convert vehicles for the new fuel source and building special refueling stations.
11/11/2009	The Advertiser: City in Top 10 for jobs Lafayette has cracked the top 10 in a national list that rates cities on job and income growth.
Member News
Date	Story
6/24/2010	Intuitive IT Becomes MSPAlliance Member- The International Association of Managed Service Providers The MSPAlliance (MSPA) the International Association of Managed Service Providers (http://www.mspalliance.com/), today announced that Intuitive IT has become a member of the MSPAlliance.
6/15/2010	Picard Center evaluates Student Success Habits program Students enrolled in a locally based program called Student Success Habits showed marked improvement in their math and reading grades, according to an evaluation report recently released by the Cecil J. Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning at UL Lafayette.
6/2/2010	Picard Center evaluates Student Success Habits program Students enrolled in a locally based program called Student Success Habits showed marked improvement in their math and reading grades, according to an evaluation report recently released by the Cecil J. Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning at UL Lafayette.
4/9/2010	SEO Services Lafayette to Hold Ribbon Cutting Ceremony SEO Services Lafayette is a new business created by Tony & Diana Hayes and is focused on helping businesses marketing efforts get a better return on investment through the rapid growth of Local Search Marketing.
2/25/2010	Business Express Alliance Members Honored for Top Sales Business Express, a network for locally-owned businesses, hosted the Annual Awards Luncheon.
2/17/2010	Machine Tools and Gagemaker Feature New Mobile Showroom Machine Tools, Inc. (Lafayette, LA) and Gagemaker, LP (Houston, TX) announce a new cooperative mobile showroom for Louisiana and Mississippi.
1/21/2010	Remedies™, the holistic center for life’s aches and pains hosts Breakfast at Remedies Remedies™, a health and wellness center specializing in life's aches and pains, will host Breakfast at Remedies™ on Thursday, January 28th.
11/19/2009	Chamber member, BEGNEAUD Manufacturing Highlighted in US Chamber publication Don Begneaud: Going From A Tinkerer To An Industry Leader
11/2/2009	Jump Into Business with Louisiana's Most Unique Party Facility
Community News
Date	Story
7/14/2010	High Notes: America's best music towns Lafayette makes the cut.
7/14/2010	Lafayette makes list of top U.S. vacation destinations Lafayette has done it again. The city has made it to the top of another list — this time as a vacation destination.
4/21/2010	Lafayette Named One of "America's Top 100 Places to Live" RelocateAmerica.com named Lafayette one of "America's Top 100 Places to Live." In the Web site's 13th year of publishing the report, Lafayette was notably the only city named from Louisiana.
1/18/2010	Lafayette To Host Benefit Concert for Haiti Relief Efforts Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel announced today that the city, in conjunction with Festival International and Le Centre International de Lafayette will host a concert to benefit relief in Haiti.
12/22/2009	The Advertiser: Lafayette jobless rate down in November Lafayette's unemployment rate fell by more than half a point in November, the Louisiana Workforce Development Commission said today.
11/6/2009	PIXEL MAGIC ANNOUNCES NEW DIGITAL MEDIA STUDIO IN LAFAYETTE Leading digital effectscompany could create 40 direct new jobs in three years