Even by chamber of commerce standards the annual meeting of the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance offered some eye-opening reasons to be very optimistic about our region's future.
Keynote speaker Rebecca Ryan is a consultant on emerging generations. She made the case that for our kids, grandkids and great-grandkids, we must not only build a solid economy, but a wonderful place to live.
She pointed out that more capital investment is underway in Southwest Louisiana than in many states.
Then she presented a peer-group analysis of how we are perceived by those who will inherit our community. It suggests we're well on the way to creating a metro area that measures positively in social capital against Lafayette and other upper gulf coast cities and towns, far better than the sometimes loudish naysayers would have us believe.
Kudos to the Alliance for using their annual banquet to showcase such forward thinking, and for their 5-star accreditation, putting them in the top 1-percent of American chambers. We're not surprised. Frankly, we've never seen our regional chamber assume the mantle of true inclusive leadership to the degree it has in recent years.
Incoming House Speaker Chuck Kleckley also spoke to the gathering. Representative Kleckley has always represented Southwest Louisiana well in Baton Rouge, and brings honor and political clout to our region in his new legislative role.
Rebecca Ryan urged attendees to "plan Southwest Louisiana deep" with successive generations in mind. She also posed the intriguing question, "If you left here, what would you miss?"
Citing the SEED center, McNeese, Sowela, an increasingly vibrant downtown & lakefront, unique culture and relatively low cost of living, she says future generations are increasingly likely to respond, "quite a bit."
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