Area business, economic development support agencies and others from the Bayou Region are scheduled to participate in the second annual Entrepreneurship Day at the Legislature, sponsored by Louisiana Economic Development (LED). The annual gathering of Louisiana's entrepreneurs will take place on Tuesday, April 18 on the steps of the state capitol. The event will begin at 10 a.m.with LED Secretary Michael J. Olivier and Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) President Dan Juneau will address the group. Governor Blanco has also been invited.
In the capitol rotunda, 13 booths will feature organizations serving and assisting entrepreneurs with everything from taxes to procurement to technology transfer. The day is also an opportunity for entrepreneurs to meet their legislators and discuss any concerns related to helping business owners prosper in Louisiana.
In addition, the Urban Entrepreneur Partnership (UEP) will present a synthesis of “best practices,” findings from current research, success models, informed research and best thinking to date from 2 – 3 p.m. The UEP is a collaboration of The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation joined with the National Urban League, Business Roundtable and federal government programs to help escalate entrepreneurship and jobs in historically neglected and economically underserved urban areas. The presentation is part of an ongoing focus on enhancing Louisiana's entrepreneurial infrastructure following the storms.
Entrepreneurship Day at the Legislature organizers expect this year’s crowd to exceed last year’s participation of more than 200 entrepreneurs. The following organizations will be hosting booths in the rotunda:
Louisiana Economic Development
SBA
SCORE
Louisiana Business Incubator Association
Community Development Council
Small Business Development Centers
Louisiana Business Technology Center and Louisiana Technology Transfer Office
LSU Entrepreneurial Institute
Tulane Institute for Entrepreneurs
Louisiana Tech Center for Entrepreneurship & IT
ULM Entrepreneurship Study Center
MEPoL / Procurement Technical Assistance Center
Micro Enterprise Development Alliance of Louisiana
IDEA VILLAGE
IRS
Louisiana Minority Business Council
Women’s Business Council
Newcorp Business Assistance Center
Louisiana Community & Technical College System
USDA
Louisiana Department of Labor - Incumbent Worker Training Program
Louisiana Association of Business & Industry
Baton Rouge Black Chamber
Center for Rural Development-Southern University BR
The South Louisiana Economic Council will be gathering with companies from the Bayou Region at 7:30am on the morning of April 18th at John L. Guidry Stadium at Nicholls State to caravan to the event. Entrepreneurship Day at the Legislature lapel stickers as well as synopsis of pending bills and legislative contacts will be distributed to all before departure. For more information, contact Jan Labat at 985-448-4485 or by e-mail at jan.labat@nicholls.edu.
The event is open to the public.