Weekly Report. Monroe Chamber of Commerce. April 24, Update on Re-Establishing AMTRAK -April 25

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1 ONROE CHAMBER WEEKLY REPORT Volume 17, Issue 17 Monroe Chamber of Commerce Weekly Report Last Week, The Monroe Chamber and the City of Monroe and Richwood hosted a ribbon cutting for Robinson Head Start located at 5307 Robinson Drive in Richwood. The facility is operated by Prime Time. An additional facility will open in West Monroe this week. TOGETHER WE RE STRONGER Update on Re-Establishing AMTRAK -April 25 On Tuesday, April 25 at 3:00 p.m. Mr. Knox Ross, Executive Director of Coordinating and Development in Shreveport, will provide an update on efforts to reestablish long distance rail service from Dallas, Texas to Atlanta, GA. Re-establishing the service will allow people to travel from the east coast through Atlanta to Dallas and on to Los Angeles by rail. The route would run along I-20 through Monroe and Ruston. You are invited to join us to hear more about the process and what you can do to help with the effort. The meeting with Knox Ross will be held at the Monroe Chamber Office. For more information, please call Sue Nicholson at April 24, 2017 CALENDAR Tuesday, April 25 at 10:30 a.m. - Groundbreaking for Barkdull Faulk Elementary Renovation/Addition. The school is located at 2110 Jackson Street. Tuesday, April 25 at 3:00 p.m.-knox Ross with Coordinating and Development in Shreveport will provide an update on reestablishing AMTRAK from Dallas to Atlanta. The meeting will be held at the Monroe Chamber. Tuesday, April 25 at 6:00 p.m.-the Monroe City Council will meet at Monroe City Hall Council Chambers. Wednesday, April 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.-the Monroe Chamber will host a luncheon for the residents of the Monroe Air Industrial Park. For more information, call Sue Nicholson at Tuesday, May 2 from Noon to 7:30 p.m.- Northern Exposure will be held in Baton Rouge. Cost to participate is $75. Bus transportation is available at an additional $35. To register or for more information, please call Daphne McClish at Wednesday, May 3 at 10:00 a.m. - The Corner Shoppes Groundbreaking. The event will take place at 2020 Tower Drive. Thursday, May 4 at 10:00 a.m. The Reserve on Bayou DeSiard Apartments Groundbreaking. The event will take place at 6568 Hwy 165 next to the Veterans Home by CenturyLink. Friday, May 5 at 4:30 p.m. Fleet Feet Sports Ribbon Cutting & Reception- The business is located at 1866 Forsythe Avenue.

2 Update for Week 2 of the 2017 Regular Session The Monroe Chamber of Commerce has advocated for issues important to our region for over a hundred years. Today, we are still focused on reforms and tax policies that will improve our business climate so companies can thrive. We continue to advocate for adequate funding for our schools in order for our students to become part of a productive workforce and we continue to work to iprove our infrastructure and securing funding for those projects continues to be a top priority. The chamber is monitoring numerous pieces of legislation that could have an impact on businesses and individuals this session. Over 144 bills this session deal with changing our tax structure. The most controversial piece of legislation proposed by the Governor has finally surfaced. The Commercial Activity tax would place a new tax on employers and to the tune of around $900 million in new taxes. House Bill 628 by Sam Jones imposes a Commercial Activity Tax on the taxable gross receipts of certain entities doing business in La. The bill requires that business entities, including certain S corporations whose income is deducted in computing La. corporation income tax liability, to pay a CAT as follows: (1) $250 if the entity's gross receipts are at least $150K, (2) $500 if the entity's gross receipts are more than $500K, (3) $750 if the entity's gross receipts are more than $1M, (4) $1,500 if the entity's gross receipts are more than $1.5M, but equal to or less than $3M, (5) $3,250 if the entity's gross receipts are more than $3M, but equal to or less than $6M, (6) $6,500 if the entity's gross receipts are more than $6M, but equal to or less than$12m, (7) $12,500 if the entity's gross receipts are more than $12M. Corporations and entities that are taxed as corporations for federal income tax purposes and businesses that are engaged in the manufacturing or merchandising or gaming will follow different schedules. Legislation to phase out the corporate franchise tax over the next 10 years is up for discussion. Other bills aimed at corporations address eliminating the tiered tax rate schedule and providing a flat tax on La. taxable corporate income. Several bills repeal the state income tax deduction for federal income taxes paid for purposes of calculating corporate income tax. Changes for individual tax filers are on the table, too. The $18 credit you receive on your individual tax return if you have child in school may not be allowed. You might not be able to take the $1,000 deduction for each dependent on your tax returns. A flat rate of 2% or some variation on the taxable income of an individual has been proposed. Individuals may also lose the ability to deduct their federal income taxes paid when computing state individual income taxes. State Rep. Katrina Jackson, D-Monroe, is sponsoring House Bill 562, which would eliminate tax exemptions on sales taxes and extend the sales tax to the untaxed transactions. The state exempted $6.83 billion in taxes in You may have to pay more for your hair cut, Netflix and landscaping in the future. People who are following the state s construction bill are seeing double. House Bill No. 2 was filed by Representative Neil Abramson last week and Representative Walt Leger filed House Bill No. 658, which also provides for the comprehensive Capital Outlay budget. The funding for the Kansas Lane Extension is currently intact and in both versions of the bill. Please contact Lori Reneau at lreneau@monroe.org if you would like more information. View the Senate agenda here: View the House agenda here:

3 The Man Enough To Be A Girl Scout campaign will be our greatest effort towards getting men more involved in Girl Scouts. When you step up to be Man Enough to be a Girl Scout, you are saying you stand with all girls in our community as they strive to become women of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Judy Babb, Chairman of the Monroe Chamber Beautiful Business of the Month, is pictured above presenting the Award for April to Caples & Robinson Orthodontics. The business is located at 2210 Forsythe Ave. in Monroe. Want more information on the Man Enough To Be A Girl Scout campaign? Please visit or contact David Lee at info@gslpg.org U.S. Senator Kennedy Meets with Monroe Chamber Members The Monroe Chamber hosted a congressional update luncheon with United States Senator John Kennedy last week. Kennedy serves on the Appropriations, Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs, Budget, Judiciary and Small Business & Entrepreneurship committees in the U.S. Senate. Senator Kennedy gave the group of business leaders an update on the biggest challenges he is hearing from his constituency. The middle class people that work and pay taxes are being hit hard by the Affordable Care Act and increased taxes. Senator Kennedy said his agenda includes bringing jobs back to the most powerful economy in the country, which is only growing at 1.9% annually. The average growth before the 2008 recession was 3.1%. Kennedy said our stunted growth is not due to lack of capital, but due to lack of investments in software, plants, machinery and equipment in the U.S. His agenda also includes cutting tax rates for personal tax rates, LLC, LLP, S Corporations, Partnerships and other areas to help grow our economy. Senator Kennedy said the federal government has become our Nanny. Regulations in the last 8 years have grown over the top. He is working to reduce the rules, simplify the rules, have user friendly government websites and actually have government workers answer the phones. Kennedy is co-sponsoring a bill that instructs Congress to remove two rules if they choose to promulgate a new rule and it must be approved by Congress. He spoke about his disappointment in the failed attempt to redo the Affordable Healthcare Act. The country was promised a cheaper and more affordable healthcare system. We are spending $150 billion on 25 million people that make up 9% of the insured population. The other 91% of the insured has been turned upside down. Kennedy said he will vote to repeal the ACA and vote for another plan even if it s not perfect. Senator Kennedy also touched on the Medicaid issue in the state. He plans to continue to educate other people in Congress about the importance of the Ouachita River and starting over on the Dodd-Frank Act (fully known as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act), which is a United States federal law that places regulation of the financial industry in the hands of the government.

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6 Northern Exposure Slated for May 2 As the 2017 fiscal session of the Louisiana Legislature gets underway on April 10th, our elected officials will be deliberating on everything from a gross receipts tax, reducing TOPS to investing in higher education, healthcare and infrastructure. As these discussions are held, we know that what happens in Baton Rouge impacts every citizen in Louisiana. How do we keep our issues in front of legislators, many of whom have never traveled to Northeast and North Central Louisiana? Over thirty years ago, the Monroe Chamber began an annual advocacy trip to Baton Rouge. As the years went by, the trip grew to include more business and community leaders. Eventually, the annual trek was expanded to include communities from throughout northeast and north central Louisiana. The event, which highlights issues and projects important to our region, was named Northern Exposure and today the annual event draws over 400 participants to Baton Rouge. Joining the Monroe Chamber of Commerce in hosting the event are the West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce, the Ruston Lincoln Chamber, the Union Parish Chamber, the Bastrop Morehouse Chamber and other regional economic development organizations, chambers of commerce, institutions of higher education and city and parish governments in northeast and north central Louisiana. The function this year is slated for Tuesday, May 2nd at the Louisiana State Museum. The speakers for Northern Exposure 2017 include Governor John Bel Edwards, Speaker of the House Taylor Barras; Louisiana Superintendent of Education John White; Secretary of Economic Development Don Pierson, Secretary of Louisiana Transportation and Development Shawn Wilson, Commissioner of Agriculture Mike Strain and others. The event proves that there is strength in numbers. Through the collective efforts of the communities who support and attend Northern Exposure, northeast and north central Louisiana have been able to secure funding for key infrastructure projects like Arkansas Road and the Kansas Lane Extension. Today, the event continues to focus on important infrastructure projects, but is also highlighting the need for adequate funding for area colleges, universities, health care and infrastructure. Platinum sponsors for the event are ATMOS Energy, A T & T and the North Louisiana Economic Partnership. Gold sponsors are ANGUS Chemical, CenturyLink, the City of Monroe, D & J Construction, Entergy, Patty Stewart Photography and Progressive Bank. Silver sponsors are Delta Style, Denmon Engineering, Grambling State University, KTVE Fox 14, Lagniappe Broadcasting, Louisiana Tech University, The News-Star, the Radio People, The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living, and the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Please join us on Tuesday, May 2 at the Louisiana State Museum at 660 N. 4 th Street in Baton Rouge. The schedule for speakers begins at 12:00 p.m. and will be followed by a reception at the Louisiana State Museum Terrazzo. The cost to attend is $75 per person which includes lunch and the reception. To register or for more information call Daphne McClish at the Monroe Chamber at

7 Law Enforcement Appreciation Luncheon A group of local businesses is hosting a law enforcement appreciation lunch for law enforcement officers working within Ouachita Parish (city, parish, state and federal agencies). If you would like to donate a door prize or goody bag items (minimum of 50/maximum of 400), please feel free to drop those items off at the Monroe Chamber or West Monroe Chamber office by May 4. If you have any questions, please contact kristy.lacroix@centurylink.com. Class Location: Louisiana Delta Community College-Monroe Classes taught by:

8 Need a Ride to Baton Rouge for Northern Exposure? Monroe Air Industrial Park Luncheon Residents of the Monroe Air Industrial Park are invited to join the Monroe Chamber and the City of Monroe for a lunch and an opportunity to share their thoughts about the Air Industrial Park. The lunch will be held on Wednesday, April 26 at Atmos Energy. We still have a few seats available on the bus. To RSVP or for more information, please call Daphne McClish at The City and Chamber hosted a similar luncheon last year. It proved to be a great way for park residents to meet their neighbors and potentially find new customers. It also provided the City of Monroe with the opportunity to hear from park residents and to hear about any challenges they may have. For more information, please call Sue Nicholson at

9 Nominations Now Accepted for the 2017 Thomas H. Scott Awards of Excellence The Monroe Chamber of Commerce, the News Star and the University of Louisiana at Monroe College of Business plan to recognize the growth and development of new and expanding businesses in Ouachita Parish with an awards ceremony that will be held on May 25th. The three entities have collaborated on The Thomas H. Scott Awards of Excellence. The awards will be presented to Ouachita Parish businesses that have demonstrated a commitment to Northeast Louisiana by creating or retaining jobs, making a capital investment in machinery, equipment or a new facility and that participate in worthwhile projects that make the community a better place to live. The award is named after Thomas H. Scott, the founder of Scott Companies, which is headquartered in Monroe. Scott was raised in Mississippi and attended Mississippi State University where he received a degree in agriculture engineering. Following graduation, he moved to Shreveport where he was employed with International Harvester. While in Shreveport, he met Mayme, the woman who was to be his wife and life-long companion. The couple moved to Monroe in 1939 to open Scott Truck and Tractor Company. Over the years, Scott Truck and Tractor evolved into Scott Companies, which includes Scott Equipment, Scott Financial Services, Scott Irrigation, Scott Real Estate and CBS Interests. Scott summarized his business philosophy in a company brochure that was published in In it he said, People are important. Our number 1 goal has always been to serve the customer. Our business has been built on service to our customer and service to the communities in which we are located. Scott continued to work at the business until his death in 2001 at the age of 90. Join Us! Northern Exposure May 2, Noon to 7:30 p.m. Louisiana State Museum in Baton Rouge Call for more information or to RSVP. Four awards will be presented: small business category (businesses that employee 1-10 people); medium business category (businesses that employee people); large business category (businesses that employee 51 to 100 people); and corporate (businesses that employee over 100 people). Nominations are open to any Ouachita Parish business that expanded their business or made a capital investment in 2016/17; created or retained jobs; and that participate in worthwhile causes throughout Ouachita Parish. Nomination forms are available at the Monroe Chamber. Area businesses are encouraged to nominate their own business. The deadline to submit a nomination is 5:00 p.m. Friday, April 28th. All completed nominations should be mailed or delivered to the Monroe Chamber of Commerce at 212 Walnut Street, Suite 100; Monroe, LA The winners will be announced at a reception to be held on May 25 th at the ULM Conference Center. Tickets for the event are $35 per person. For more information or to nominate a business, please call the Monroe Chamber at

10 Volunteers needed for Dragon Boat Races Volunteers are needed Volunteers are needed for the event, so we wanted to offer any service groups, church groups, youth leadership chapters, sorority/fraternity, spirit teams or other groups the opportunity to take part in this exciting event. The needs are as follows: 1. Set up: Friday, May 12th from 12 noon to 4 pm - anyone with a truck and some muscles are highly needed! This will be the transport of tables, chairs and supplies from one site to the event site. 2. Set up: Saturday, May 13th from 8 am to 12 noon - this entails helping to direct vendors, checking rowers in, selling t-shirts and setting up the children's play area. 3. Docking: Saturday, May 13th - various times - this involves working with the Race Marshall to direct the loading/unloading of the rowing teams into the actual dragon boats into the bayou. This is a fun, fast-paced job that is muddy. Old shoes, rain boots are ideal footwear. Sunscreen and a hat is recommended. Shifts are only 1 hour. 4. Clean Up: Saturday, May 13th - help us make the event look like it vanished...anyone with a truck and some muscles are highly needed! This will be the transport of tables, chairs and supplies from one site to the event site Help Local Animal Shelter win up to $100,000! For the videos receiving the most votes in each category, 10 will be reviewed by a panel of judges. The top video will receive $100K, and the 2 nd & 3 rd place will receive $50K. For those of you not actively on Facebook, please go to the link below and VOTE DAILY, from now through 5/ Note: If Kaleigh s video doesn t come up for some reason, hit the Search button, and type Dog Park. Ours and one other video pop up. CHOOSE OURS and then VOTE, then SHARE! &mcid=form_237551

11 MONROE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 212 Walnut Street, Suite 100 Monroe, LA PHONE: (318) FAX: (318) Website: THE MONROE CHAMBER S MISSION IS TO LEAD IN THE CREATION OF AN ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH OUR BUSINESSES THRIVE.