October 2014


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GATEWAY NEWS A Bi-monthly Publication of the Iberville Chamber of Commerce

Chamber holds open house for new office

New Members State Senator Rick Ward 3741 La. Hwy 1 South Port Allen, LA  70767 225-246-8838

Windsor Place Apartment Homes 6610 Hwy 74 St. Gabriel, LA  70776 225-642-0595

Plaquemine Caring, LLC 59215 River West Drive Plaquemine, LA  70764 225-687-0240

American Cancer Society 10528 Kentshire Ct. Baton Rouge, LA 70810 985-665-9893

dancExpression 23520 Eden Street Suite D Plaquemine, LA  70764 225-776-8039

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2014

The Iberville Chamber welcomed members to its new office on La. Hwy. 1 South with an Open House event on June 24. The Chamber provided food and beverages throughout the day for members who visited. Shown above is the ribbon cutting for the new office, with numerous Chamber and community members attending and Chamber Director Hank Grace, center, shown holding the ribbon cutting scissors.

Parish provided funding for bridge study The Iberville Parish Council will provide $175,000 in funding for a feasibility study on construction of a bridge across the Mississippi River in Iberville Parish. The Council voted unanimously at its August 18 meeting to support the proposal by Parish President J. Mitchell Ourso that the parish share costs with Ascension Parish in funding the study on the West Bank Connector. The state approved $750,000 in funding for the study during the last legislative session, according to State Rep. Karen St. Germain, who attended the August Chamber Board of Directors meeting to discuss options being considered to address

traffic congestion on La. Hwy. 1. The study will be on constructing a four-lane highway between Interstate 10 near Port Allen and Interstate 310 just west of New Orleans, including a bridge over the river. Ascension Parish has also voted to put up $125,000 for the study. The proposed highway and bridge would relieve traffic congestion on La. Hwy. 1 to the Mississippi River Bridge in Port Allen and along I-10 through Baton Rouge, and would provide an alternate evacuation route during hurricanes and emergencies. (Continued on Page 3)

Low interest loans to businesses Loans of up to $50,000

4 percent interest

Provided through the Iberville Chamber’s Revolving Loan Program. Business must be located in Iberville Parish. For more information contact Jennifer Landry at 225.687.3560 or [email protected]

Executive Director’s Desk Dear members, Iberville Parish now has three development-ready sites certified by the Louisiana Department of Economic Development! Iberville first certified a site in north Iberville off the Ramah interstate exit. Recently, the Iberville Industrial Park in north Plaquemine, and 1,000 acres across from the Industrial Park that is owned by the Dow Chemical Co. have both been certified. And, we are working with two other property owners – one in east Iberville and one in south Iberville – to certify their sites. This LDED certification is a tremendous advantage to a site because it provides independent certification that site work such as title work, environmental assessments, soil analysis and surveys, utilities and infrastructure have all been completed by the property owners. Certification saves both time and expense for potential buyers, and puts these sites at the top of the list for site selectors. This is exciting for Iberville and will pay dividends for the parish in the future. I’d like to welcome teachers and students back to school. With all the expansion and new industrial projects in our parish and this region, it is imperative that we have a trained workforce. The Chamber will continue to partner with our education leaders to direct students into these great jobs that are in demand in the coming years. Have a great summer,

GETTING UPDATE ON SESSION…

Iberville’s state legislators reported on the recent Legislative session and on other issues concerning the Iberville region at the Chamber’s Breakfast before Business with our Legislators event. It was held July 16 at The Plant Bistreaux. Shown at the event are, from left, Chamber Director Hank Grance, Chamber Chairman Clint Seneca, Troy Brown, State Representatives Karen St. Germain and Edward Price, and Ochsner CEO Eric McMillen. The event was sponsored by Ochsner Health Services. In the photo at right, Senator Rick Ward addresses those attending the event.

Save the date Member Appreciation Night Thursday, October 23 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Bayou Plaquemine Waterfront Park Pavilion Great food, drinks and networking, silent auction, music! Join the fun and great food as the Chamber thanks its members for their support. This annual event draws hundreds of Chamber members and is one of its most popular events of the year.

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Business After Hours at Marcello’s Mitch Marcello’s Ristorante gave Chamber members and their guests a taste of its fine foods on July 24, when it hosted a Business After Hours networking event at the popular new restaurant. A full spread of fine foods were offered to those attending. Shown are scenes from the event.

Funding for bridge study (Continued on Page 3) According to 2013 Department of Transportation traffic data, some 47,000 vehicles travel each day on La. 1 near the Intracoastal Waterway Bridge in West Baton Rouge. The congestion has become an issue for many businesses along La. Hwy. 1 because their employees and customers are fighting backed up traffic on the roadway daily.

Nominations sought for 2015 Chamber board members The Iberville Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors appointed a Nomination Committee at its August board meeting and is now seeking nominations for the board of directors for the year starting January 2015. Each member will serve a three-year term. The board of directors is made up of business leaders who understand the purpose and mission of the Chamber.

Each candidate should be an active member in good standing and should have agreed to accept the responsibility of directorship. The board will vote to approve the slate of nominated directors. Please contact the Chamber at 687-3560 if you are interested on serving on the Chamber board or if you would like to nominate someone for the board.

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DancExpression

Snap Fitness

DancExpression, an innovative dance academy, opened this summer in Plaquemine with a busy summer line-up of summer classes and day camps. It’s fall session of classes began on August 4, but it is still accepting new students for classes. The dance company offers group lessons in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, hip hop and tumbling for any one age 3 and up. A tumbling class for kids age 5-8 was just added to its line-up. It also provides private and couples lessons, adult exercise classes, and space rental for parties and special events like showers or birthday parties. Located in a large facility at 23520 Eden Street, general hours are 3-9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. DancExpression is owned and operated by dancer Kayla LeJeune. “It’s been a dream of mine to own a dance studio since I was a little girl,” LeJeune said. “I am doing what I love, sharing my passion with others, and educating the younger generation on the art of dance.” LeJeune has been involved in dance since age 2, and has won numerous scholarships and awards in dance competitions, has traveled across the country teaching dance teams for Universal Dance Association, and has provided choreography and judged regional and national dance competitions. For more information call 225.776.8039 or go to www. DancExpression.net

Ready to get in shape, feel better and more energetic? Snap Fitness offers fast, convenient and affordable fitness workouts in a clean, comfortable and close-to-home gym. Snap Fitness opened its Plaquemine location on Belleview Road in 2007. Open on a 24hour basis, Snap provides the industry’s best fitness equipment, cardio and strength training, access to locations world-wide, and personal training services to help you get started or ramp up your results. It also provides personalized help via mysnapfitness.com for members to track progress, create custom meal and nutrition plans, and participate in motivational challenges. The Plaquemine facility is managed by Kim Landry. When Snap Fitness opened, she worked part-time at the facility while working in the medical field. “I realized that helping people get physically fit was a way to improve their wellness, and achieve a better quality of life,” she said. She got her personal trainer certification, and her passion for her new career resulted in her eventually being named manager of the Plaquemine location. Snap Fitness is a great fitness choice because it has no long-term binding contracts. In addition, it guarantees results if you work out twice weekly! If you don’t feel or see a positive difference within 30 days of joining, you’ll get a refund. For more information call 225.687.6271 or go to www.snapfitness. com

23675 Church St., P.O. Box 248 Plaquemine, LA 70765-0248 225-687-3560

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