15/Jan/2009
Chamber President Bob Breaux Lays Out Plans for Central in ‘09
By Sean Griffin
The new full-time position for the Central Chamber of Commerce has Bob Breaux working to promote the city of Central.
Breaux, president and chief executive officer for the Chamber, said he is doing what he can to make Central attractive to new businesses.
“Part of my job is to brand [Central] and sell that quiet little city,” he said.
Named as the Chamber’s President and CEO in November, Breaux said he will be working as a watchdog to make sure the city, state and federal governments are not creating obstacles that would hinder business development for Central. Currently he has been revisiting past laws and bylaws to suggest possible restructuring. He has also spent time researching other chambers to see how they serve their business communities.
“The business community has hired me to work for the chamber, but it’s not about business,” Breaux said. “The business doesn’t work if the community isn’t there.”
Breaux said the unique selling point for Central is its rural qualities but close location to urban life. He said the best kept secret about Central is that even though it’s only 15 minutes from downtown Baton Rouge, it has a flavor all it’s own.
“We’re an hour from New Orleans and then we have Baton Rouge with its unique culture,” Breaux said. “The interesting thing is that it’s part of the East Baton Rouge parish. It’s the best kept secret. People want to know how long how it takes to get to Baton Rouge, and it’s just 20 minutes. It’s not that long.”
Since Central is still a young city, Breaux said some important efforts will involve working with the different facets of Central. Breaux said he hopes to create a seamless working environment between the Chamber of Commerce and the other leaders of Central.
“We’re a brand new city,” he said. “The city has just released their master plan and is ready to grow. We’re going to work very closely with the powers that be to make that happen for the businesses in the Chamber as well as the rest of the city.”
Goals for the City
Breaux cited working with the city government to establish Central’s place as a growing city. He said he has some goals to push Central further.
“One of the major projects that we want to work hand in hand in with the city on is that we want the feel of a true city,” he said. “We want our own zip code. I’ve talked to our congressman and will talk to our two senators and work with the city to do that.”
He will also conduct some type of survey to determine the demographics for Central and what decisions will benefit those demographics. He also said he hopes to draw in not only more businesses but residents and visitors as well.
“In order [for the Chamber of Commerce] to grow in the long term we have to grow the population,” Breaux said. “We want to keep balance and show that we are a forward-looking community.”
Right now, Breaux said recorded demographics show the southern half of Central is expected to grow. He thanks the community’s leadership for this growth and praised the Central schools for helping to bring people to Central.
Breaux hopes to pinpoint specific business locations and groupings to see where new business would benefit the community.
“I want to zero in on a few places where we want to bring in a few retail places and other types of stores,” he said.
Business as a Group
Breaux highlighted the importance of having businesses work together in an organized group such as the Central Chamber of Commerce. He said he is involved in several local clubs and recognized that when all the members are united they can achieve more. He plans to maintain the Chamber’s unity now that he is president.
“I think it’s even more important for businesses to group together,” Breaux said. “We can do so much more together. I can only do so much on my own, but if I have my club we have a lot of influence.”
Research efforts on Breaux’s behalf have been taking place to see what decisions will be wise for extend the Chamber’s influence. He is looking at studies and economic stimulus plans to help build Central’s community.
For the upcoming year he hopes to support some growing needs for Central. He said the infrastructure is one of the important problems and offers an opportunity for Central to grow.
“The [Central Thruway project] will be nearing completion, and that’s going to be great for [Central],” Breaux said. “I will also be pushing for an extension of Hooper Road that would take us all the way to Livingston and St. Helena Parish.”
The next step for making the Chamber successful will be to make sure he is taking away some of the stress for the members of the Chamber. He said because many of the businesses in Central are small business owners, they are generally made up of entrepreneurs who are very busy worrying about doing that day’s work and keeping up with their payroll.
“They care about their business and their employees, and I want to help them pay attention to that,” Breaux said. “My job is to help create an atmosphere that gives us the opportunity to create more businesses and bring in more visitors and shoppers.”
Central as a Marketplace
Breaux moved to Baton Rouge 35 years ago and opened his business Computer Solutions which he ran for 10 years. He has been married for 42 years to his high school sweetheart and has five children and six grandchildren.
Breaux has a marketing and accounting background and said he specializes in mentoring and consulting with businesses.
“I have to market Central first to Central, and secondly I have to sell it to the world,” Breaux said. “It’s a phenomenal place.”
City of Central Chamber of Commerce 2009 Events:
· Monthly chamber of commerce meetings will be held on the second Wednesday of every month.
· Krewe de Centrale Mardi Gras Ball will be held near the Mardi Gras holiday.
· National Day of Prayer
· Central Clean-Up Day
· Cooking for Kids Fundraiser benefitting the Central Community Schools will return. While not an actual Chamber of Commerce event, Breaux said the event is an important part of
Central’s community. The fundraiser benefits the public and private school systems in Central with a percentage also going to help St. Helena parish.
· Relay for Life in Central benefitting the American Cancer Society
· Prayer Banquet
· Chamber Golf Tournament
By Sean Griffin
The new full-time position for the Central Chamber of Commerce has Bob Breaux working to promote the city of Central.Breaux, president and chief executive officer for the Chamber, said he is doing what he can to make Central attractive to new businesses.
“Part of my job is to brand [Central] and sell that quiet little city,” he said.
Named as the Chamber’s President and CEO in November, Breaux said he will be working as a watchdog to make sure the city, state and federal governments are not creating obstacles that would hinder business development for Central. Currently he has been revisiting past laws and bylaws to suggest possible restructuring. He has also spent time researching other chambers to see how they serve their business communities.
“The business community has hired me to work for the chamber, but it’s not about business,” Breaux said. “The business doesn’t work if the community isn’t there.”
Breaux said the unique selling point for Central is its rural qualities but close location to urban life. He said the best kept secret about Central is that even though it’s only 15 minutes from downtown Baton Rouge, it has a flavor all it’s own.
“We’re an hour from New Orleans and then we have Baton Rouge with its unique culture,” Breaux said. “The interesting thing is that it’s part of the East Baton Rouge parish. It’s the best kept secret. People want to know how long how it takes to get to Baton Rouge, and it’s just 20 minutes. It’s not that long.”
Since Central is still a young city, Breaux said some important efforts will involve working with the different facets of Central. Breaux said he hopes to create a seamless working environment between the Chamber of Commerce and the other leaders of Central.
“We’re a brand new city,” he said. “The city has just released their master plan and is ready to grow. We’re going to work very closely with the powers that be to make that happen for the businesses in the Chamber as well as the rest of the city.”
Goals for the City
Breaux cited working with the city government to establish Central’s place as a growing city. He said he has some goals to push Central further.
“One of the major projects that we want to work hand in hand in with the city on is that we want the feel of a true city,” he said. “We want our own zip code. I’ve talked to our congressman and will talk to our two senators and work with the city to do that.”
He will also conduct some type of survey to determine the demographics for Central and what decisions will benefit those demographics. He also said he hopes to draw in not only more businesses but residents and visitors as well.
“In order [for the Chamber of Commerce] to grow in the long term we have to grow the population,” Breaux said. “We want to keep balance and show that we are a forward-looking community.”
Right now, Breaux said recorded demographics show the southern half of Central is expected to grow. He thanks the community’s leadership for this growth and praised the Central schools for helping to bring people to Central.
Breaux hopes to pinpoint specific business locations and groupings to see where new business would benefit the community.
“I want to zero in on a few places where we want to bring in a few retail places and other types of stores,” he said.
Business as a Group
Breaux highlighted the importance of having businesses work together in an organized group such as the Central Chamber of Commerce. He said he is involved in several local clubs and recognized that when all the members are united they can achieve more. He plans to maintain the Chamber’s unity now that he is president.
“I think it’s even more important for businesses to group together,” Breaux said. “We can do so much more together. I can only do so much on my own, but if I have my club we have a lot of influence.”
Research efforts on Breaux’s behalf have been taking place to see what decisions will be wise for extend the Chamber’s influence. He is looking at studies and economic stimulus plans to help build Central’s community.
For the upcoming year he hopes to support some growing needs for Central. He said the infrastructure is one of the important problems and offers an opportunity for Central to grow.
“The [Central Thruway project] will be nearing completion, and that’s going to be great for [Central],” Breaux said. “I will also be pushing for an extension of Hooper Road that would take us all the way to Livingston and St. Helena Parish.”
The next step for making the Chamber successful will be to make sure he is taking away some of the stress for the members of the Chamber. He said because many of the businesses in Central are small business owners, they are generally made up of entrepreneurs who are very busy worrying about doing that day’s work and keeping up with their payroll.
“They care about their business and their employees, and I want to help them pay attention to that,” Breaux said. “My job is to help create an atmosphere that gives us the opportunity to create more businesses and bring in more visitors and shoppers.”
Central as a Marketplace
Breaux moved to Baton Rouge 35 years ago and opened his business Computer Solutions which he ran for 10 years. He has been married for 42 years to his high school sweetheart and has five children and six grandchildren.
Breaux has a marketing and accounting background and said he specializes in mentoring and consulting with businesses.
“I have to market Central first to Central, and secondly I have to sell it to the world,” Breaux said. “It’s a phenomenal place.”
City of Central Chamber of Commerce 2009 Events:
· Monthly chamber of commerce meetings will be held on the second Wednesday of every month.
· Krewe de Centrale Mardi Gras Ball will be held near the Mardi Gras holiday.
· National Day of Prayer
· Central Clean-Up Day
· Cooking for Kids Fundraiser benefitting the Central Community Schools will return. While not an actual Chamber of Commerce event, Breaux said the event is an important part of
Central’s community. The fundraiser benefits the public and private school systems in Central with a percentage also going to help St. Helena parish.
· Relay for Life in Central benefitting the American Cancer Society
· Prayer Banquet
· Chamber Golf Tournament
