Jennifer James Autin was recently named the new Executive Director of the Rayne Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture during its December Board of Directors’ meeting.
Autin has been serving as the Business Development Coordinator for nearly a year and shares her excitement to move to this new position. Autin grew up in Rayne, graduated from Rayne High School in 2001, and earned her undergraduate degree in 2005 from Louisiana State University at Eunice focusing on business management and
hospitality. Many in Rayne remember her as the 2001 Miss Rayne and the 2002 Frog Festival Queen. She acknowledges Cheryl Richard Boudreaux for instilling the love of community and volunteerism in her heart at a very young age.
Residing in Youngsville with her husband, Brandon, and their two children Adelyn and Ayden, Autin states, “We could have never imagined that I was going to be brought on to serve the local business community under a world-wide pandemic. It has not been an easy road, but we have strived to think outside the box, build relationships with our membership, bring new avenues of value, and utilize forward thinking in regards to social media and marketing strategies.”
“In this time we have held community and children’s events, more than doubled our membership, all while placing ethics at the forefront of what we do everyday. It’s exciting time for the Rayne Chamber of Commerce as we continue to push forward and provide valuable resources to our clientele. In this new era of the Chamber we have been able to provide grant opportunities for our business community, live marketing, help with the hiring process, educational courses and so much more.”
Autin credits the board members for their vision and outgoing president, Jeremy Lavergne, for his wisdom and guidance that ultimately assisted in the success and growth of the Chamber even during this time. The move of positions gives Rayne the opportunity to be in line with other chambers across the state, as each one has an appointed executive director. This will give the organization opportunities to have a presence at conferences and events throughout the area, which will ultimately assist in better opportunities for our membership. Autin would also like to thank everyone in the community for welcoming her with open arms.
For more information, contact Autin at 337-334-2332 or at raynechamber1@bellsouth.net.
Original article by Steve Bandy, Managing editor of Crowley Post-Signal.
