MONROE CHAMBER WEEKLY REPORT Volume 15, Issue 45 2585854

Monroe Chamber of Commerce

Weekly Report

November 9, 2015

TOGETHER WE’RE STRONGER CALENDAR

Tuesday, November 10 at 7:30 a.m.-Accent

on Excellence Breakfast will be held at the

Monroe Civic Center. Tickets are $20 per

person. Please call Daphne McClish at 807-

4018 to RSVP.

Tuesday, November 20 at 6:00 p.m.-Monroe

City Council will meet at Monroe City Hall

Council Chambers.

Wednesday, November 11 at 12 noon-The

Greater Ouachita Port Commission will meet

at the Monroe Chamber office.

Thursday, November 12 at 9:30 a.m. - St.

Francis Pediatrics, a partner of Our Lady of the

Lake Children’s Hospital Ribbon Cutting. The

event will take place at St. Francis Medical

Center 6th floor.

Friday, November 13 at 9:50 a.m.-Ribbon

Cutting and Grand Opening for PINK-

Victoria’s Secret. The business will move to a

new location by JC Penney with a larger store

and the addition of PINK!

Monday, November 16 at 5:30 p.m.-The

Ouachita parish Police Jury will meet at the

Ouachita Parish Courthouse.

Thursday, November 19 from 2:00 p.m. to

5:30 p.m.-Ouachita 101 will be held at

CenturyLink for employees new to the area.

For more information, please call 323-3461.

Saturday, November 21-Louisiana

Gubernatorial General Election-VOTE!

SAVE THE DATE! Thursday, December 3-

Monroe Chamber Holiday Gala and

Auction!

THIRTY GRADUATE FROM LEADERSHIP OUACHITA

Thirty Participants graduated from the Monroe Chamber of Commerce and

Leadership Council’s Leadership Ouachita program on Thursday,

November 5th. This was the Leadership program’s 27th

anniversary

graduation celebration, which was held at the Bayou DeSiard Country Club.

The purpose of Leadership Ouachita is to develop and empower the

emerging leaders of Northeast Louisiana to transform the region into a

place recognized as one of the best places to live and do business. Class

members engage in a series of sessions focused on education and workforce

development, economic development and infrastructure.

The program also provides insight on public decision making, practical and

in-depth discussions on public issues pertinent to Ouachita Parish, an

expanded knowledge and understanding of the community in which we

live, and the opportunity to develop lasting relationships with growing and

established leaders in a neutral environment. Since the class inception

twenty-six years ago, over 700 people have graduated from the program. Continued on page 2

Last Thursday evening, thirty people graduated from the 2015 Leadership Ouachita Class. The event was held at Bayou DeSiard Country Club.

MONROE CHAMBER WEEKLY REPORT 5854

Leadership Ouachita continued from page 1

The 2015 Leadership Ouachita graduates are: Ashley Able with First National Bank, Bradley Bridges with Cross

Keys Bank, Doris Britton with on Brit, Inc., Brian Bush with MLK Junior High School, Chelsey Campbell with

First National Bank, Eddna Castro with Monroe Housing Authority, Christy Childers with P & S Surgical Hospital,

David Cole with Progressive Bank, Chad Creel with Booth Wealth Management, Kelsi Dickerson with Heard,

McElroy and Vestal, Courtnie Gill with Marion State Bank, Heta High with Graphic Packaging, Kevin Kennedy

with CenturyLink, Patrick King with University Health Conway, Bart Lee with Ouachita Parish Assessors Office,

Jake Maxwell with Cross Keys Bank, Gerald McCloskey with Franciscan Missionaries of our Lady Health System,

Lindsay McNair with ANGUS Chemical, Larry Miller with ANGUS Chemical, Lindsey Murry with Children’s

Coalition of NELA, Rodney Parker with Centric Federal Credit Union, Michael Price with Carroll Junior High

School, Thomas Reeves with Reeves, Coon and Funderburg, Julie Salter with Louisiana Delta Community

College, Adam Shell with CenturyLink, Adebola Shoyebi with Specialty Management Services of Ouachita, Sheila

Snow with the Monroe-West Monroe Convention and Visitors Bureau, Jon Wages with Origin Bank, Janice

Whittington with Origin Bank and Jake Wilson with Pecanland Mall.

Jeff Laudenheimer was named the 24th

Annual James M. Shipp Jr. Memorial Young Business Leader of the Year

during the graduation ceremony. This prestigious award is presented annually to a young man or woman in

Ouachita Parish who has displayed outstanding leadership and service.

Laudenheimer’s story is one of “growing up” with a company. He joined Progressive Bank in 1999 as a Sales

Associate in the financial center located in Albertsons Grocery Store. From there, he served in various roles in both

retail and commercial divisions including Management Trainee, Assistant Financial Center Manager, Financial

Center Manager, Commercial Lender, and now Vice President and Commercial Relationship Manager in

Progressive’s Private Banking Division.

Laudenheimer is active in the YMCA where he served as Board President. He is a board member for NOVA and is

active in United Way of Northeast Louisiana serving as a Community Investment Operations Evaluator among

other roles. He currently serves as treasurer for the Neville Alumni and Friends Association. He is a graduate of the

Monroe Chambers Leadership Ouachita program. Laudenheimer and his wife Kelsey have two daughters, Braylee

and Carly.

Past recipients of this prestigious award include: Brent Henley, Tom Nicholson, David Cattar, George Cummings,

Harvey Hales, Ed Major, Debbie Sawyer, Mike Ryan, Bruce Hanks, Dr. David Uth, Terry Baugh, Jerry Daigle,

Taylor Cagle, Jim Crotwell, Judge Manning, LJ Holland, Aimee Kane, Christian Creed, Stephen Harrison, Kevin

Woods, Stewart Keyes, Michael Echols, Laura Kilpatrick Marchelos and Ashley West.

Jake Wilson, General Manager for Pecanland Mall was given the Charlie Mac “Twice as Much” Award. Jake was

selected by fellow classmates as the participant who displayed twice as much caring, giving and respect throughout

the year. Previous winners were Stephanie Rivers, Staci Albritton, Christie Messinger, Andrew Osakue and Terry

Blakeney.

Sponsors for the 2016 class are: CenturyLink, Iberia Bank, Lagniappe Broadcasting, Tom and Sue Nicholson,

Pecanland Mall, P & S Surgical Hospital, Patty Stewart Photography, St. Francis Medical Center, Strauss Interests,

The Radio People and The News-Star.

2016 Leadership Ouachita class nominations are being accepted now and are encouraged from all segments of the

community. Individuals may apply or nominate those they feel best exemplify the philosophy of Leadership

Ouachita. The application deadline for the 2016 class is Friday, January 8, 2016. Applications may be picked up at

the Monroe Chamber of Commerce or interested parties may contact Daphne McClish at 807-4018 or

dmcclish@monroe.org for more information.

MONROE CHAMBER WEEKLY REPORT | Volume 15, Issue 45

MONROE CHAMBER WEEKLY REPORT | Volume 15, Issue 45

Seven Educators to be recognized at Accent on Excellence on Tuesday

On Tuesday, November 10, the Monroe Chamber will honor the Teachers of the Year from both the Ouachita

Parish School System and the Monroe City School System. In addition, the Monroe Chamber will recognize the

recipient of the University of Louisiana at Monroe Foundation Award of Excellence in Teaching.

Ouachita Parish School Superintendent Dr. Don Coker, Monroe City School Superintendent Dr. Brent Vidrine,

Louisiana Delta Community College Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs Don Wheeler, ULM President Dr.

Nick Bruno will also on hand for the event and will offer comments on their respective institution.

The following educators will be honored from the Monroe City School System: Maria Plata with Cypress Point

Elementary, Je’Marcus A. Welch with Carroll Junior High School, Chelsea King with Neville High School.

Educators from the Ouachita Parish School System who will be recognized are: Ashley Perkins from Claiborne

Elementary School, Jonathan “Duke” Johnson from West Ridge Middle School and, April Stockley from West

Ouachita High School.

Dr. Joydepp Bhattcharjee, Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Louisiana at Monroe will be

recognized as the recipient of the 2015 University of Louisiana at Monroe Foundation Award for Excellence in

Teaching.

The awards ceremony is held each year to honor and recognize outstanding excellence in teaching. It is

sponsored by Allen, Green and Williamson, LLP, ANGUS Chemical, Associated Business Printing, Atmos

Energy, KTVE 10, Lagniappe Broadcasting, The News-Star, Ouachita Independent Bank, Patty Stewart

Photography, Robertson Produce, Strauss Interests, The Radio People and the Monroe Chamber of Commerce.

Thirty Bottles of Wine for $25?

Enjoy wine? Than take a chance on winning thirty bottles of wine by buying a $25 raffle ticket.

You can keep them or have thirty holiday gifts to give to your friends, family or colleagues.

Each year members of the Monroe Chamber Board of Directors donate a $35 bottle of wine. In

the past, the thirty bottles have been placed in our annual auction. This year, the auction

committee decided to sell raffle tickets rather than placing the wine in the auction.

Only 80 tickets are available and you do not have

to be present to win.

According to Cindy Rogers, Raffle Ticket Chairman

and Auction Committee member, the tickets are

going fast. Tickets went on sale last week and she

has already sold 20 tickets. With just 60 left, don’t

wait until the evening of the event to get your ticket.

Please call the Monroe Chamber at 323-3461 and

purchase your ticket now.

MONROE CHAMBER WEEKLY REPORT | Volume 15, Issue 45

New Federal Budget Deal Means Higher OSHA Penalties November 1, 2015 – With the stroke of a pen, President Barack Obama will sign into law on Monday (11/01/15) the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. This means no more squabbling for the next two years about shutting down the government by threatening to withhold

passage of the federal budget. Additionally, the White House claims this bill, which increases government spending and debt limits, will stimulate the nation’s economy. But nothing comes for free; passage of this Act also means your OSHA penalties will be going up – significantly! Many people mistakenly believe that employers pay monetary penalties attached to federal OSHA citations directly to OSHA, making them a self-funded agency. But that is not true. The monies actually go into the general fund, that big black hole that sucks in tax dollars to run our country and pay interest on the national debt. That is why the checks for OSHA penalties are made out to the United States Treasury, and not to OSHA. The maximum monetary penalties OSHA can levy for citations of their standards are set by Congress, and those limits have not changed since 1990. The maximum penalty allowed for an “Other than Serious” citation or “Serious” citation is currently capped at a $7,000 penalty, and the penalty for a “Willful” citation cannot exceed $70,000. However, a passage buried deep inside the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 changes these by allowing adjustments for inflation on certain civil penalties; specifically, OSHA penalties. And this is not just a year-to-year adjustment; it also includes one big “catch-up” adjustment that goes all the way back to 1996! Read the applicable section of the Act below: Sec. 701. Civil monetary penalty inflation adjustments. Section 701(a) establishes the short title for this section as the “Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015.” Section 701(b) amends the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 (28 U.S.C. 2461 note) to:

1. Require all agencies with civil monetary penalties covered by the statute to update penalties based on

their value in the last update prior to 1996 and the change in the CPI between that date and

October 2015. The increase in penalties that results from this “catch up” calculationwould be capped

at 150% (so a penalty now set at $10,000 could not increase to more than $25,000). 2. Require all agencies to adjust their civil monetary penalties annually based on changes in the CPI, using data from October of each year. 3. Replace current rounding rules with a simple rule that penalties be rounded to the nearest dollar. 4. Apply these provisions to the Occupational Safety and Health Act and civil penalties assessed under the Social Security Act. According to the “CPI Inflation Calculator” provided on the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website, the maximum allowable penalties for OSHA citations starting next year (2016) will look roughly like this after the initial “catch-up” adjustments are made:

o Other Than Serious (was $7,000) – maximum is now $10,616 o Serious (was $7,000) – maximum is now $10,616 o Willful (was $70,000) – maximum is now $106,158

And these penalty caps will presumably go up even further each year afterwards, based on any increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the previous year. Technically, higher penalty caps do not necessarily mean higher penalties across the board, because the Act only addresses higher maximum penalty levels; not minimum. But OSHA has been aggressively pushing Congress for years to allow higher maximum penalties to accompany their citations, claiming that the threat of stiffer penalties would give them a bigger stick that will drive employers towards greater compliance with federal safety and health standards. So I would expect to see OSHA take full advantage of these increased maximum penalty levels. But here is the interesting part; our President and Congress are NOT counting on this increase in penalty caps resulting in safer

workplaces. They are instead counting on employers continuing to receive the same number of OSHA citations, but with these higher penalties attached, so they can raise some of the billions of extra dollars they need to support their uncontrollable spending habits. And what about the supposed economic benefits created by passage of this new Act? I suppose it will help my “personal economy”, because a more “motivated” employer will be more apt to utilize my OSHA compliance services! Do you really believe these higher penalty caps for OSHA will stimulate employers to “be safer”? Will it make the nation’s economy stronger?? Are you surprised that the burden to help pay for our government’s ever-increasing spending in this new budget falls squarely on the shoulders of businesses through higher monetary penalties???

MONROE CHAMBER WEEKLY REPORT | Volume 15, Issue 45

MONROE CHAMBER WEEKLY REPORT | Volume 15, Issue 45

MONROE CHAMBER ACCEPTS NOMINATIONS FOR 2015 RAMBIN-SILVERSTEIN AWARD

The Monroe Chamber of Commerce is accepting nominations for the 2015

Rambin-Silverstein Award, which is presented annually to a resident of

Northeast Louisiana who has displayed outstanding leadership and service

to the community. The nominee does not have to be a member of the

chamber.

Any resident of Northeast Louisiana who has demonstrated achievement,

leadership and service for the benefit of the greater community is eligible

for nomination.

The final selection is based on the person’s contributions to the community

over many years of service, evidence of their leadership ability, and

evidence of their personal, professional and business integrity. The

candidate must have a record of exceptional volunteerism and have

demonstrated unselfish dedication to the betterment of Ouachita Parish and

Northeast Louisiana.

Nomination forms are available at the chamber office at 212 Walnut Street,

Suite 100 or by calling 323-3461. All nominations must be received no later

than Wednesday, December 30, 2015.

MONROE CHAMBER WEEKLY REPORT | Volume 15, Issue 45

Last week, the Monroe Chamber and the City of Monroe cut the ribbon for

Bella Blues Designs Co, The business is located at 1902 Forsythe Avenue in

Monroe.

Last week, the Monroe Chamber and the City of Monroe cut the ribbon

for the Monroe Fire Department communications center. The department is located at the Public Safety Center located at 1810 Martin Luther King

Drive.

Last week, the Monroe Chamber and the City of Monroe cut the ribbon on the new DQ Grill and Chill located at 1600 Sterlington Road in Monroe.

Last week, the Monroe Chamber and the City of Monroe cut the ribbon for

The Diamond Parlor. The business is located at 1217 North 18th Street in Monroe.

MONROE CHAMBER WEEKLY REPORT | Volume 15, Issue 45

MONROE CHAMBER WEEKLY REPORT | Volume 15, Issue 45

APPLY NOW FOR 2016 LEADERSHIP OUACHITA

The Monroe Chamber is currently taking applications for the 2016 Leadership Ouachita

class. Nominations are encouraged from all segments of the community. Individuals may apply or

nominate those they feel best exemplify the philosophy of Leadership Ouachita. The application deadline

for the 2016 class is Friday, January 8, 2016. Applications may be picked up at the Monroe Chamber of

Commerce or interested parties may call Chamber Events Director, Daphne McClish at 807-4018 or

dmcclish@monroe.org for more information.

The purpose of Leadership Ouachita is to develop and empower the emerging leaders of northeast

Louisiana and help them gain the skills they need to transform the region into the best place to live and

do business. Class members engage in a series of sessions focused on education, health care, workforce

development, infrastructure and government.

The program also provides insight on public decision making, practical and in-depth discussions on

public issues pertinent to Ouachita Parish, an expanded knowledge and understanding of the community

in which we live, and the opportunity to develop lasting relationships with growing and established

leaders in a neutral environment. The class opening retreat is scheduled for Thursday and Friday,

February 18 and 19, 2016.

MONROE CHAMBER WEEKLY REPORT | Volume 15, Issue 45

MONROE CHAMBER OF

COMMERCE

212 Walnut Street, Suite 100 Monroe, LA 71201

PHONE: (318) 323-3461

FAX: (318) 812-7594

E-MAIL:

communications@monroe.org

Website: www.monroe.org

THE MONROE CHAMBER’S MISSION

IS TO LEAD IN THE CREATION

OF AN ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH

OUR BUSINESSES THRIVE.

Ouachita Business Alliance Encourages Every Business to Take the Pledge!

Cleaning up every corner of Ouachita Parish is a priority of the Ouachita Business Alliance.

Much is being done by the group to improve the appearance and cleanliness of our community.

An attractive community is a more enjoyable place to live, work and raise a family. It also

makes it much easier to recruit new businesses and residents to Ouachita Parish. Take the pledge

and you’re your customers know you care.

Ouachita Parish Business Pledge

As a person owning or operating a place of business within Ouachita Parish I pledge

to keep my business premises, including sidewalks, service alleys, parking areas, and

areas adjacent to receptacles free from garbage, litter, and trash.

I pledge to help transform our community to reflect its status as home to a Fortune 500

Business.

Name Date

This is my community and I am proud to take the pledge!