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ConnectLA has received applications from 23 companies for the first round of the Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities (GUMBO) program.  The total funding request for the applications is $440 million, with $711 million in total project costs and an average of 40% of total project costs in matching funds. With applications coming from 58 parishes, thisRead more

LAFAYETTE, LA — Randy Prather, Executive Chairman of First National Bank of Louisiana (FNB), announces James (Jim) Lyons, Jr. has been named as President of FNB. Lyons joined the FNB team in 2006 and has assumed  various managerial responsibilities in loan operations, compliance, commercial lending and most recently serving  on the executive leadership team. In additionRead more

When you think of the agriculture industry, images of chickens, cows and corn fields may come to mind. But while you imagine a farmer standing in a field with dusty overalls and a pitchfork in hand, agricultural producers throughout the state are using broadband to program tractors and analyze field data. Hardwick Planting Company farmsRead more

What is Chamber Ca$h? Since the late 80’s, the Acadia Parish Chamber of Commerce has offered the Chamber Ca$h program  to business and shoppers. Purchased at the Acadia Parish Chamber office, these gift certificates can be redeemed at over 80 local Acadia Parish businesses, making them very versatile. Unlike other ‘gift cards’, there is noRead more

Leadership EXCEL, a joint program between the Acadia Parish Chamber of Commerce and the Jeff Davis Chamber of Commerce, is pleased to announce the members of the 2022 Class. The selected participants represent a cross section of the community’s business, civic, and non-profit sectors. 2022 Leadership EXCEL Class: Alisha Babin – Landmark of Rayne, Rayne Ashley LeblancRead more

Shop Small is a nationwide movement to celebrate small businesses every day and to help communities thrive and stay vibrant. By shopping or dining at small businesses throughout the year, you’re showing your support for the businesses in your neighborhood and in the community, you call your own. Small businesses are the heart and soul ofRead more

Original article written by Sophia Campbell, Jimena Ruiz Castro, and David Wessel for Brookings Institute.  The shift of work and school online highlighted the lack of access to high-speed broadband internet service in some parts of the U.S. and intensified political pressure on the government to make it more widely available.  The bipartisan infrastructure bill that passedRead more

This post is part of a five-part series called Relief to Recovery, an analysis done by Joseph Parilla and Sifan Liu of Brookings Institute.  What to know As the nation recovers from the pandemic, the strategic lens for small business support will shift from averting destruction to making strategic investments in entrepreneurship ecosystems and smallRead more

This post is part of a five-part series called Relief to Recovery, an analysis done by Joseph Parilla and Sifan Liu of Brookings Institute.  What to Know In normal times, small businesses are constantly being created and destroyed. This churn makes entrepreneurship a risky journey for individual business owner, but can be a good thingRead more

This post is part of a five-part series called Relief to Recovery, an analysis done by Joseph Parilla and Sifan Liu of Brookings Institute.  “Small business” is an unhelpfully broad segment. This brief focuses on small businesses with fewer than 100 employees, with the acknowledgement that smaller businesses have experienced particular challenges during the economicRead more