We want our members to be aware of our partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Alliance of Southwest Louisiana for a special job fair to hire our returning veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq. Hiring our Heroes will be held on Tuesday, August 7 at the Lake Charles Civic Center. For employers to participate, you must be in a position to hire veterans. We will be providing more information and additional details in the weeks ahead.

Please consider your participation and support for the event. The costs are underwritten by the U.S. Chamber. We are being asked to promote and hire. More to come...  

The Government & Public Affairs Division met on Tuesday led by Vice Chair Guy Goodson. Felicia Harris is a run-off for the Republican Party candidate for Congressional District 14 was a special guest. Randy Weber, her opponent, will be the guest at the July 10 meeting.

The Government & Public Affairs Division is recommending three actions for the approval of the Board of Directors:

1. Support the Smoke Free Texas initiative advocating a statewide smoking ban in public places.
2. Support Senator John Cornyn's STAR Act which will retain top foreign students earning graduate degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics from American universities.
3. Support the Hire Local First Initiative proposed by the Associated General Contractors of Southeast Texas.

The committee to develop a workforce readiness division met for two hours on Thursday morning under the leadership of Ann Scoggin.  Pat Avery who chairs Workforce Solutions of Southeast Texas and Executive Director Marilyn Smith discussed funding and the current delivery system for workforce development in our area. There was great discussion about education and technical training. Our next meeting will occur at the board planning workshop on August 6.     

Jim Rich attended the Diversity Summit held at the Lamar Institute of Technology on Thursday.

An economic development prospect group made their second visit to the area on Friday. We provided the transportation to and from the airport and arranged for dozens of local experts to be available for briefings. Jessica Hill coordinated the visit.