New regional, five-year plan to be unveiled February 3
Baton Rouge, La. (November 9, 2021) – Today, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) announced that early funding campaign efforts have raised $2.49 million in annual commitments from the business and philanthropic community for its upcoming five-year regional strategic plan. The plan, its goals, and priorities will be publicly announced at a campaign launch celebration on February 3. The funding campaign is ongoing and will continue to build on this positive early momentum.
“For over a decade, BRAC has been the organization to get things done on behalf of the region’s business community,“ said Ralph Bender, CFO of Manship Media and chairman of BRAC’s Board of Directors. “BRAC’s 2026 strategic plan is driven by investor feedback and data, and the business community has responded by reaffirming, and in many cases expanding, its financial commitment to accelerating progress. I encourage every business in the region to consider supporting and engaging in BRAC’s work.”
Funders to date include the following 123 organizations, listed alphabetically. These organizations have committed to supporting BRAC’s five-year strategy through 2026, and join BRAC’s annual investor base of more than 1,300 regional organizations:
| A. Wilbert’s Sons | Enginuity Global | Neighbors Federal Credit Union |
| Ad Source | ExxonMobil | Nexstar Media Inc. |
| Adams and Reese, LLP | Faulk & Winkler, LLC | Ochsner Health |
| Associated Grocers, Inc. | Feigley Communications | Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center |
| Atmos Energy | Fishman Haygood, LLP | PacTec |
| Bank of St. Francisville | Gallagher | Petroleum Service Corporation |
| BASF Corporation | Gator Millworks | Phelps Dunbar, LLP |
| Baton Rouge Area Foundation | General Informatics | PlusOne Design l Construction |
| Baton Rouge Clinic, AMC | Gerry Lane Enterprises | Postlethwaite & Netterville |
| Baton Rouge Community College | GMFS | Providence Engineering & Environmental Group, LLC |
| Baton Rouge General Medical Center | Guarantee Restoration Services | Red River Bank |
| Baton Rouge Telco Federal Credit Union | Guaranty Corporation | Regions Bank |
| Baton Rouge Water Company | Hancock Whitney | Republic Services |
| BBQ Guys | Hannis T. Bourgeois, LLP | Roedel Parsons Blache Fontana Piontek & Pisano |
| Benny’s Car Wash | HR Solutions | Ryan |
| Bernhard Capital Partners | Hunt, Guillot & Associates, LLC | Seaside Healthcare |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana | IBERIABANK / First Horizon | Shell |
| Boh Bros. Construction Co. LLC | iHeart Media | Sparkhound |
| Bonton Associates | Jani-King of Baton Rouge | SSA Consultants |
| Brightside Social Services | Jones Walker, LLP | Star Service, Inc. of Baton Rouge |
| Brookwood Properties, LLC | JPMorgan Chase | Stonehenge Capital |
| C.H. Fenstermaker & Associates | Kean Miller LLP | Stuart & Company General Contractors, LLC |
| Campus Federal Credit Union | Kurz & Hebert Commercial Real Estate, Inc. | Stupp Corporation |
| Capital Area Finance Authority | LaPorte CPAs & Business Advisors | Taylor Porter |
| Capital One | Lard Oil Company | Team Automotive Group |
| Cardiovascular Institute of the South | L’Auberge Casino and Hotel | The Advocate |
| CareSouth Medical & Dental | Launch Media | The Celtic Group |
| Cintas Corporation | Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry | The Lamar Corporation |
| Civil Solutions Consulting Group | Lemoine Company | The Newtron Group |
| CMA Technology Solutions | Lipsey’s | The TJC Group |
| Coca-Cola Bottling Company | Loadstar Product Handling Services, LLC | Thermaldyne |
| Coleman Partners Architects, LLC | Lofton Staffing & Security Services | ThreeSixtyEight |
| Community Coffee Company, LLC | Louisiana Companies | Tilt |
| Cornerstone Government Affairs | LWCC | WAFB |
| Cortec | Lyons Specialty Company, LLC | Wampold Companies |
| Cox | MacLaff | WHLC Architecture |
| CSRS | Manship Media/WBRZ | Woman’s Hospital |
| Cumulus Media | MAPP | WRKF |
| Dow | Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center | |
| ECS Southeast, LLP | McGlinchey Stafford PLLC | |
| Emergent Method | Mesh | |
| EMR Southern Recycling | NAI Latter & Blum |
“Our organization would not exist without the financial support of the regional business community,” said Adam Knapp, president and CEO of BRAC. “Unified regional leadership, guided by a shared strategy, will unleash Baton Rouge’s potential and help push us beyond the status quo.”
BRAC will publicly reveal its new campaign, flagship goals, an updated purpose statement, and more, at a campaign launch celebration on February 3 at Electric Depot. Current and prospective BRAC investors, elected leadership, and partner organizations are invited to attend. More details and registration are available at brac.org/events.
BRAC’s last five-year, regional strategic plan, Think Bigger, concluded in 2020. The organization elected to pause the launch of the next campaign until 2022 to focus its efforts on helping the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Outcomes of BRAC’s work over the Think Bigger era can be found in its 2020 Annual Report.
Businesses interested in supporting BRAC’s work may contact Senior Vice President of Investor Development Emi Gilbert Henry at emi@brac.org.
About the Baton Rouge Area Chamber
The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) leads economic development in the nine-parish Baton Rouge Area, working to grow jobs and wealth and improve the region’s business climate and competitiveness. Today, BRAC investors include more than 1,400 small businesses, mid-sized firms, large industry, and entrepreneurial startups, as well as individuals and organizations that support business and economic development. In this capacity, BRAC serves as the voice of the business community, providing knowledge, access, services, and advocacy. More information is available at brac.org.
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