We
have scheduled our mid-year review of our programs of work for May 21 at the
Broussard’s Center under the direction of our Long Range Planning Division
chaired by Tim Sudela. As an organization, we proudly take a moment midway
through the year to ask our divisions to report on progress and to illustrate
what has been accomplished. The Chamber has many moving parts utilizing
volunteers and staff to accomplish a variety of tasks, so it is prudent to take
a moment and gauge how the moving parts are working and if the efforts continue
to be relevant to our mission. At our Board of Directors planning workshop in
August, the groundwork for the programs of work are formulated and with input
are formalized into a strategic plan reviewed and adopted by the Board of
Directors later in the fall. From there, we rely on our board leaders and staff
to make progress and share the results mid-year to celebrate successes and
acknowledge the challenges for everyone to consider. We look forward to the
discussion and welcome members to attend.
Our
economic development efforts are funded by the servicing fees we get for
arranging SBA real estate loans. It is a program we have administered for years
and relies on third parties bringing loan proposals to us to underwrite and get
authorized by the SBA. In a good year, we will approve six to 10 loans, and we
serve the entire state for business locations. I mention it to remind everyone
the servicing fees provide the resources we need to focus on larger local
economic development efforts. We have an estimated $40 billion in new
investments in some form of progress and are confident most will come to
fruition. It is an amazing number rivaling anything happening elsewhere along
the Gulf Coast. The groundbreaking ceremony for Natgasoline LLC on March 20,
which made the front page of the April Beaumont Business Journal, captured the
impact of 3,000 construction jobs, 240 new permanent jobs, and the overall
investment of $1 billion. It is the largest single new investment in Beaumont’s
history, and the first new plant to be built in decades. At the groundbreaking
ceremony were global leaders and project investors from the biggest firms in
America. “Netherlands fertilizer giant makes giant investment in Southeast
Texas” was the Beaumont Business Journal headline. The irony of the milestone
is that event was not treated as front page news by others and was supplanted
by the other story that
has dominated everyone’s attention, the corruption and governance issues
presented by the Beaumont Independent School District. I don’t mean for this to
sound critical because the BISD story is front page news! Nonetheless, the
sooner we reach the point when whatever happens at BISD is not newsworthy, the
better we will be. We want successes like Natgasoline to claim their rightful place
in the conversation and for the narrative to be that our area is in the midst
of an economic boom with dozens of expansions, a new convention hotel and water
park, and numerous new commercial development enterprises.
Another major issue on the horizon is
workforce related. Plans have been made to convene stake-holders on Wednesday,
May 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lamar State College-Port Arthur to learn,
discuss and collaborate on the vital issues of workforce development and
education reform under the new state laws and regulations. We are inviting
industry leaders, human resource and procurement professionals, workforce coordinators,
contractors, school district superintendents, administrators, college and
career counselors, and PTA leaders to attend. Changes in the requirements for high
school graduation and greater flexibility with course selection to choose
career-related courses are on the agenda. We want to bring further
understanding of the job requirements of local industry for the future. With
the economic development growth comes the need to develop workers and to ensure
local citizens are the beneficiary of the better paying jobs.
We are also hosting
our annual event in which BISD principals nominate model parents for recognition
at our Parental Partners Reception on Tuesday, May 27 at 4:30 p.m. at the MCM
Eleganté Hotel. We hope to generate a great response this year recognizing that
it has been a tough year for the many solid BISD staff and volunteers that make
a difference every day despite the news from the administration building on Harrison
Street. Come join us to show them our support.