Do you own a business? Or do you want to become a better business manager? Or how about just being the best you can be at what you do?
If you answered “yes” to any of those questions then I would highly suggest you not miss the first ever East St. Tammany Alliance Business Summit 2022 that will be held next Wednesday, March 30 at the Harbor Center.
We’ve been fortunate in past years to have our local Chamber host some kind of business expo, but we have never had anything like the Summit the Slidell business organization has put together this year.
In talking with EST Alliance President Kathy Lowrey, it is the result of feedback they got from Slidell businessmen and women about what they really wanted. The Summit will be a day-long event that will provide many outstanding speakers to give you knowledge and tips about growing your business, or becoming a better businessperson yourself.
Along with various breakout speakers in the morning and afternoon, keynote speakers will be Alan Reyes, Dima Ghawl and Commander Drew Brown—you can read more about them on the page 1 story we have today.
But seriously, I hope we see a big turnout since I am certain this is a great opportunity for any of you to learn more about becoming successful in whatever you do professionally, and even personally.
Cost to attend the Summit is $75 for EST Alliance members and $100 for non-members. A Business Leadership Package provides three tickets for a cost of $175 for members or $250 for non-members.
You can register online at:
Estbusinessalliance.com
—-
Speaking of business, I love running into young entrepreneurs and hearing their stories, always loaded with enthusiasm, for something they have started at a very young age.
After our feature story a week ago on 16-year-old Dane Pritchard, who is now operating his Ace Drone Solutions business, I found myself hearing another story recently from 15-year-old Khloe Jones, who began Khloe’s Kookies in November, 2019.
She said it all started that year when she needed to make extra money to buy Christmas presents so she started making cookies and selling them to friends and family. Well…..those must have been some pretty darn good cookies.
Christmas might have passed that year, but the requests for her cookies never stopped. Using her mother’s Facebook page to promote her business, she is now getting dozens of orders a month and adding new cookies every week.
Just to give you an idea of the latest—this week she had Oreo Cookies: a chocolate-based cookie with cream cheese icing and topped with crushed Oreos.
I think the young girl has a future for sure. You can check out her tasty treats by going online to the Khloe’s Kookies page on Facebook.
—-
My buddies at the Slidell Lions Club are ready to roll again with the ever-popular Pancake Breakfast they hold at the club the last Saturday of every month.
These guys have been holding the Pancake Breakfast for years and years, yet the crowd never quits coming since it’s a pretty nice breakfast for $6. You get pancakes, sausage and a drink.
The club is located at the corner of Cleveland and Carey, with breakfast served from 8 to 11 a.m.
And if you want to add a little fun to your morning, Bingo starts at 11:30.
The Lions Club has always been one of my favorite non-profit groups. These folks do a lot of good in our community, including a few of the charities that the Pancake Breakfast supports, such as the Lions Camp for Disabled Children, Leader Dog for the Blind, and the Louisiana Lions Eye Foundation.
—-
And a final note—get out and vote this Saturday if you live in the city limits of Slidell.
We’ve got some very interesting races for Slidell City Council, and I particularly liked seeing a handful of new people willing to run for public office this time around.
Slidell is really moving forward these days with a lot of good things going on. Mayor Greg Cromer deserves quite a pat on the back for the leadership he has provided, but the City Council is equally important to have progressive minded individuals serving who take the time to educate themselves on issues, and create new ideas to move our city forward.
The turnout at Arts Evening in Olde Towne on Saturday displayed plenty of folks who love our city and come out to support local business. The City Council is the branch of government that needs to get behind those things as well, so it’s important that we have the best people possible in those positions.
Kevin Chiri can be reached by e-mail at kevinchiri@gmail.com.