Houma-Terrebonne Chamber usher in new year

More than 700 business owners, their relatives and friends gathered last week to recognize achievement and renew old ties at one of Terrebonne Parish’s landmark annual events.

Members of the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce later said their organization’s annual banquet, held Wednesday night at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, was an outstanding success.

Coaxed into laughter at times by their master of ceremonies, State Supreme Court Justice John Weimer, those who attended heard an inspirational talk from Capt. Richard Phillips, the U.S. merchant seaman who was held hostage by pirates off the coast of Somalia in 2009, whose story became a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks.

“Failure isn’t final until we give in,” Phillips said, during a talk recounting his ordeal and the lessons he learned from it, including one from the Navy SEAL team that rescued him from the ship’s enclosed lifeboat, felling three pirates and taking another into custody. “A well-trained, professional team can solve most any problem.”

Chamber President Suzanne Nolfo Carlos explained that the banquet serves an important role as the organization’s annual membership meeting.

“We reflect back on the past year and take a few minutes to look forward to the coming year, this year we are in now,” she said. “We give awards and recognition to our members who have gone above and beyond doing the work of the chamber.”

The chamber introduced its new lineup of officers and board members as guests dined on steak and sipped wine.

Stephanie Hebert took the reins as the 2015 chairwoman; Earl Eues of KEE Environmental Services will serve as chairman-elect; Kathleen Theriot of Coaching for Change, is the 2015 treasurer.

The chamber used the occasion to announce its first annual Young Achiever Awards, for people under 40 whose work has had a positive impact on the community.

This year’s Young Achievers are state Sen. Norby Chabert, who is the owner of Houma’s Bar Roussell; Mary Downer Ditch, marketing assistant at Chet Morrison Contractors; Travis Gravois, owner of MTM Rentals and a State Farm insurance agent; Jacqueline Marsh, executive chef at Terrebonne Gener-

al Medical Center; Tamara Melancon, a Montegut Middle School teacher; Werlien Prosperie III, CEO of Diamond Advertising and Gas Pump TV; Angela Rains, manager and executive secretary for the Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District and owner of A&S Bayou Financial Services and Brian Rushing, owner of Rushing Media.

Rushing Media publishes The Times.

Carlos said the Young Achiever Awards are a vital element of the Chamber’s forward direction.

“It is key,” Carlos said. “We know that our young people are our future and we need to support them and encourage them in every way.”

This year’s Star Award, for someone who exemplifies standards of community service or volunteer commitment, went to Jason Bergeron, the Chamber’s vice chair for government activities.

Nominated by members of local non-profit organizations, the Chamber’s Community

Champion Award went to The Courier; Stephanie Alevizon was honored as the American Legion Teenager of the Year; the Distinguished Diplomat Award, given to someone who exemplifies leadership and goes “above and beyond” for the Chamber, went to LaDonna Cruse of Stephanie Hebert Insurance.

HTV owner Martin Folse announced that his company’s Outstanding Veteran award went to WWII hero flyer Lloyd Geist Sr.

The annual Most Useful Citizen Award was given posthumously to the late Ray Dill, who rose from hawking the Houma Courier on the streets as a boy to become its publisher.

The gathering, Carlos said, offered a good view of the diverse collection of businesses in the Houma-Terrebonne area. With rumblings of oil and gas industry difficulties because of low prices at the pump, she said, that diversity could become increasingly important.

“Looking at the oil and gas industry troubles in the 1980s, we have learned a lot of lessons from that,” Carlos said. “Companies are looking at other ways to use their services and products.”

The Chamber’s new Board of Directors was also introduced Wednesday.

The new members are:

Ann Barker, Terrebonne Ford; Joseph Boudreaux, Blackhawk Specialty Tools; Reggie Dupre, Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District; William Eroche, Watkins, Walker & Eroche; Michael Garcia, MD, South Louisiana Medical Associates; Leroy Guidry, Chet Morrison Contractors; Mike Lewis, Big Mike’s BBQ Smokehouse; Mitchell Marmande, Delta Coast Consultants; David Rabalais, Terrebonne Port Commission; Janel Ricca, Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center; Brian Rushing, Rushing Media; and Kimi Walker, Chauvin Brothers Inc.