Chambering new opportunities

The final piece of the puzzle is in place when it comes to rebranding the economic engine that drives Evangeline Parish.
Months after voting to change the name of the Ville Platte Chamber of Commerce to the Evangeline Chamber of Commerce, the members voted at its latest meeting this month to adopt new articles of incorporation and by-laws for the organization.
As Executive Director of the Chamber Renee Brown explained, the new set articles and by-laws were prompted because the old set was so outdated. “We were using the originals from the 1950s,” she said. “It was time to get them current.”
She continued, “Over the years, the board had updated the by-laws, but the articles were still from 1952 and didn’t apply. The articles had names of people in them who weren’t alive anymore, so, through the guidance of Brent Coreil, we reestablished the new articles and by-laws to bring them current so we can use social media, E-mail, and text messages.”
“The main reason we redid the articles and by-laws was to change the name of the organization,” said Chamber President Luke Deville.
Brown described the response of the name change from the business community around the parish. “It’s been so well received throughout the whole parish,” she said, “and it makes people in our parish feel like they’re part of something.”
“People love the idea that we’re united as a big organization and that we’re all there to work together and to help each other,” she continued. “It feels like there is such a great camaraderie and support around us having done the name change.”
According to Brown, there are 30 new members of the chamber that joined since the name change. Of those 30, 35 to 40 percent of them come from outside Ville Platte.
“We’re still growing,” she said. “I’m still trying to get to areas. I haven’t made it to Basile yet, but Mayor Mark Denette and I have been touching base. And, Darrel LeJeune with The Basile Weekly is on our tourism board, so we’ve been keeping him in the loop.”
“Our intention is to get everywhere,” she continued, “but we just have been so busy not only growing with our name change but also having so many amazing things happening in the chamber circuit. We’re proud of that.”
Besides the name change, a big component of the new articles and by-laws is the use and creation of committees. “We have been utilizing our committees more and more and establishing committees as we find a need,” said Brown. “It’s been well received and is staring to work. As we go, we’re going to fine tune and tweak those committees even more to keep our members involved. The committees are those arms and little branches of the chamber to keep people active.”
Another change, according to Deville, is to voting. “We changed the term limit of the president from two years down to one with the option of being nominated again and holding the position of president,” he said.
As Brown put it, “The president was serving two and three year terms, so we want to be able to hand off the baton sooner.” She added, “Because we’re all on the same page already and working as this big group of board members, let’s give somebody another opportunity to do a leadership role. It keeps it fresh.”
What has not changed regarding the board is the number of board members. According to Deville, that number is remaining at 13. He expounded, “We do have the option of appointing members from across the parish to a position on a committee where they would have a voice on the board, but they wouldn’t have a vote.”
Brown went on to explain the new by-laws streamline the process for further changes within the chamber of commerce. “The by-laws now allow a new way of putting things through the system so we can operate very efficiently and effectively,” she stated. “Every time we wanted to do something and change something before we had to go through so much red tape. Now, we’ve opened that door to take care of things in a more efficient and easier manner.”
She continued, “I think we found a good fit for now. What we need to remember as an organization is we have to constantly be changing and available to be open to whatever is out there. We need to embrace what is out there and understand it and put it to good use because it’s a constant benefit for all of us.”
With the changes to the chamber now in place, Brown expressed, “We want to make sure this chamber of commerce remains vital and strong and becomes a branch for these businesses to feel like they have somebody on their side to pick up that load.”
According to Brown, all these changes are very important for the parish. “We do not like seeing businesses close,” she said. “We never want to see this parish turn into a ghost town. Everybody here needs these businesses and services and industries. It’s a constant challenge to find the things to help these businesses to prosper and to stay strong and to keep moving forward. When that happens, the public buys local.”
She concluded, “Every time we spend money here, we’re making an investment that goes back into our homes, into our roads, and into our safety when it comes to police and the fire department. Those components all feed into each other and create success. When one business and one area succeeds, we all do.”