Bossier Chamber of Commerce

A New Boutique in Bossier

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Aromas Fine Apparel and Gifts Ribbon Cutting

Aromas Fine Apparel and Gifts Ribbon Cutting

I attended a Bossier Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting at Aroma’s Fine Apparel & Gifts in the Villaggio Main Street Shops. This was my first ribbon cutting attendance at the Villaggio shops. If you haven’t been out there, I encourage you to make your way over. It’s like stepping into a little Italian shopping resort. (Not that I’ve been to Italy, but it’s like I’d seem to imagine it.)

Aromas Fine Apparel and Gifts

Aromas Fine Apparel and Gifts

Aromas Fine Apparel & Gifts offers a variety of lingerie, women’s apparel, shoes & boots, perfume oils, hand & body lotions, jewelry and handbags. Owner of Aromas, Cynthia Cole, said that she strives to carry unique items and gifts that you can’t find elsewhere. They may carry only one or two pieces of a particular item so that you can have the feeling that you are one of only a few to be wearing it in our community. Aromas creates gift baskets for any occasion. They carry aroma therapy body oils and fragrances. Mother’s Day is coming and it’s a great time to search for those special gifts. Or, you might just want something for yourself. Go ahead, you’re worth it.

Aroma’s Fine Apparel & Gifts is located at 1105 Villaggio Blvd, Bossier City, LA 71111, 318-747-5170. Their hours are Monday-Saturday: 10am – 6pm / Sunday: Closed. Stop by and tell them you read my blog.
See ya around Bossier,

Robin Williams,
Bossier Chamber of Commerce Diplomat & Marketing Maven at Holiday Lanes

The Last Appointment – April

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April 2011 TLAWhere can you go to network with at least 100 people, get 2 cocktails, great music and awesome food, all for less than 10 bucks? I’ll tell you where . . . at the Bossier Chamber of Commerce TLA – “The Last Appointment”. It happens every 4th Thursday of each month from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. Bring your business cards, network with top business executives….the decision makers in Bossier/Shreveport and learn about new businesses in our community.

April 2011 TLA The April TLA was held by the pool at the Courtyard Marriott at the Louisiana Boardwalk. The atmosphere was great for an afternoon of making important business connections. Food was abundant and the adult beverages were flowing. The Matthew Davidson Band was cranking out the classic rock and blues hits. Matthew is a very talented guitarist and vocalist. At 13 year old, this young man impressed me with his renditions of some of my favorite songs. He is available for bookings and his mom will be glad to book him for your next big event.

April TLA

Cindy Lubbe of Courtyard & Jennifer Wyly of the Chamber

Courtyard has a great facility for those of you looking for a place to host conferences, meetings or parties. The features at this hotel include inviting, flexible spaces to work or relax, free Wi-Fi throughout and easy access to the latest news, weather and airport conditions via GoBoard. The highlight of the lobby experience is The Bistro. Eat. Drink. Connect. Savor in the appealing, fresh, and easy to prepare menu options at The Bistro which provides choice, quality and speed of service; featuring Starbucks Coffee along with evening cocktails. Your event at the Courtyard Shreveport-Bossier City/Louisiana Boardwalk is sure to be comfortable, productive and enjoyable!

If you’ve been thinking about joining the Chamber of Commerce, why not come to the next TLA and check it out! Not only can you attend the TLA’s, your business can be a host for a TLA. This gives your business the opportunity to showcase itself to the community. Call Monique at the Bossier Chamber Office for more information. New members receive a 30 second presentation opportunity at TLA’s. Entry fee to the TLA is $5 for Chamber Members/$10 Future Members (Limit 3 visits- Future Members).

See ya around Bossier,

Robin Williams,
Bossier Chamber of Commerce Diplomat & Marketing Maven at Holiday Lanes

Diplomat Team of the Quarter

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Just a quick note that the team of Diplomats that I serve with on the Bossier Chamber of Commerce won the most recent “Diplomat Team of the Quarter”. Proud of our team, Lynda’s Frontrunners!

Lynda's Frontrunners Team of the Quarter

Lynda's Frontrunners Team of the Quarter

Lynda Smyth with Wray Ford
Jimi Lindgren with Ralph & Kacoo’s (Plus Jimi won Diplomat of the Quarter – WooHoo!!)
Media Ann Smith with R.R. Smith Real Estate
Ron Corosopoulas with Kobus Technologies
Sherry Stuckey with Town Place Suites
Valerie Ward with The Shreveport Times
Will Carpenter with Pre-Paid Legal Services
myself – Robin Williams with Holiday Lanes

GO TEAM!!!

See ya around Bossier,
Robin

Mile High Karate

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Mile High Karate Ribbon Cutting

Mayor Walker signing up for a Mile High Karate class?

Richard Lear, Franchise Owner and Chief Instructor of Mile High Karate celebrated with the Bossier Chamber of Commerce at a ribbon cutting today. Richard explained that they are very interested in providing a place for families to learn valuable skills. They have a great structure in place for teaching children to focus their eyes, ears, minds and bodies to improve their manners, behavior and character.

Children can begin classes as young as four years old. Mr. Lear says that this is just about the right age for a child to begin training and learning the disciplines of Karate. Karate provides confidence, focus and self-esteem, which helps children prepare for school and life. Many children can truly benefit from learning self-control techniques taught at Mile High Karate.

Mile High Karate Ribbon Cutting

Demonstration of Women's Self Defense Techniques

Children aren’t the only people who can benefit from karate. Mile High Karate offers options for the whole family. In fact, right now they are offering a Mother’s Day Special for ALL women. FREE self-defense classes will be held on Monday, May 9th & Tuesday, May 10th. This is a great opportunity for women to learn real life techniques that teach confidence and ability to defend yourself. Mr. Lear gave us a sample demonstration and I’ve got to say, I was impressed by the techniques. He and his mother provided simple, real life scenarios which are helpful to anyone who is interested in feeling protected. Some of the techniques were so simple, yet very effective in thwarting off danger. The classes also promote wellness, stress relief and confidence. Free enrollment is limited, so you will want to call and reserve a spot soon.

Mile High Karate Ribbon Cutting

Mile High Karate Ribbon Cutting

Mile High Karate has after-school programs and is very involved in the community. The Mile High Karate franchise is a family and community oriented company, requiring each locality to perform at least 10,000 community service hours per year. This reinforces the message of being the best well-rounded person one can be.

Mile High Karate is located at 1745 Swan Lake Road, Suite G, Bossier City, LA, phone 318-703-4749. Stop by and tell them you read my blog.

See ya around Bossier,
Robin Williams,
Bossier Chamber of Commerce Diplomat & Marketing Maven at Holiday Lanes

Get your glasses on!

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Bossier Eye Institute Trunk Show

Bossier Eye Institute Trunk Show

Bossier Eye Institute Optical Shop had a frames and sunglasses trunk show today! Don’t worry if you didn’t make it, they still have great new arrivals from Ray Ban, Valentino, Juicy Couture, Gucci, and more!

Bossier Eye Institute Trunk Show

Bossier Eye Institute Trunk Show

I no longer need prescription lenses (thanks to Dr. Nawas), but you don’t have to have a prescription to get a great pair of sunglasses. I stopped by the clinic and was so impressed by the staff. They are top notch. I didn’t realize until I got out to my car that I had a name tag on. I just thought they were super and remembered my name from my last visit. The staff was very helpful and advised me to which frames are right for my face, picked colors that they thought would look good on me and tried to convince me that “Big” is Huge! They were talking about frames. I put a pair on that reminded me of my mom in 1975. Apparently that look is coming back. Not for me, it’s not 😎

Bossier Eye InstituteFor those of you who are not familiar with Bossier Eye Institute, Dr. Wally Nawas provides full service family eye care and has an on-site eye wear shop. He treats Cataracts, Glaucoma, Diseases of the eye and is licensed to perform Botox treatments. (thinkin’ seriously about that one!) Dr. Nawas has been my personal Ophthalmologist and I recommend him with confidence. Although he no longer performs Lasik and PRK, I did have PRK performed over a year ago and have been so happy with my results.

Bossier Eye Institute and Optical Shop is located at 2300 Hospital Drive, Suite 140, Bossier City, LA, phone 318-746-2020. Stop by and tell them you read my blog.

See ya around Bossier,

Robin Williams,
Bossier Chamber of Commerce Diplomat & Marketing Maven at Holiday Lanes

What’s in a name?

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I’m learning so much as a Bossier Chamber of Commerce Diplomat. Local business has become my new interest. I enjoy hearing about new businesses, but even more, I enjoy meeting the people who are putting their faith in the Bossier and Shreveport communities to help them succeed in their endeavors.

Titanium Environmental Services Ribbon Cutting

Titanium Environmental Services Ribbon Cutting

Titanium Environmental Services, LLC has recently expanded their services in the Shreveport-Bossier area. A ribbon cutting at the Bossier Chamber of Commerce gave me an opportunity to meet the local contact, Tony Pierce, and learn more about what they do. The company provides consulting and litigation support for individual or industrial clients in the oil, gas, steel and cement industries, among others. They offer specific knowledge about air, water and waste environmental compliance.
Titanium Environmental Services

Titanium Environmental Services

Titanium began in the year 2000 with two employees and currently have 18 employees who serve clients all over the United States. Titanium Environmental Services, LLC (TES) provides many types of environmental and regulatory compliance services including permitting, auditing, training, reporting and preparation of plans. Whether you need an individual permit application or turn-key environmental management, Titanium strives to provide these services in the most efficient manner possible.

Titanium Environmental ServicesNow, on to the reason for the strange title of today’s blog: What’s in a name? My assumption that TES either sold or produced products made of titanium was way off base. Mitch Wilson, who is the Principal founder of Titanium, explained that he had been involved in a bicycle accident. He was badly hurt and had several areas of his body that had been rebuilt using titanium. He also had a friend who had been put back together with titanium. In their discussions, they came to the conclusion that titanium is light-weight, high-tech and was inside both of them. Titanium helped them both overcome adversity and helped them heal. Hence the name was decided. The logo is a symbolic bicycle chain cog. What a great story that reflects a bit of the human spirit.

The Shreveport location of Titanium Environmental Services is located at 9140 New Castle Drive, Shreveport, LA 71129, phone 318-703-4260. Give Tony Pierce a call if you are in need of environmental services and tell him you read my blog.

See ya around Bossier,

Robin Williams,
Bossier Chamber of Commerce Diplomat & Marketing Maven at Holiday Lanes

Simply Smashing!

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Smashburger Bossier City

Smashburger Bossier City

The new Bossier City Smashburger had a VIP Preview/Ribbon Cutting Party that was simply smashing! I knew I was going to like this place when I drove up and the entire wait staff was outside dancing the YMCA on the lawn. Yes, they even had what appeared to be the leader in full Indian headdress. How much fun is that?
Smashburger Bossier City Ribbon Cutting

Smashburger Bossier City Ribbon Cutting

Smashburger is definitely a burger lovers dream. They offer a great variety of classic and unique burgers and sandwiches. Tonight the energy of the crowd was awesome.
Smashburger Bossier City Ribbon Cutting

Avocado Club Smashchicken

We were so excited to be some of the first in Bossier City to try it out. The rest of Bossier will have to wait until tomorrow when they open for regular business. I had the Avocado Club Grilled SmashChicken sandwich with sweet potato Smashfries. It was fabulous and I took half of it home to finish for lunch tomorrow.

Scott and Mary Quigley

Scott and Mary Quigley

Scott and Mary Quigley, owners of both the Bossier City and Shreveport Smashburgers, appear to be such a great couple and they are a great asset to the Bossier Community. They offer fund raising options for churches and schools because they believe it is important to give back to the community in which they operate. It is obvious that they feel that customer service is very significant to a successful business. The crew at Smashburger was very friendly and helpful. I heard several people comment on the service and even heard one person question where they found their employees. She was so impressed with all the smiley faces and the high energy of the employees. I’m thinking this is going to be a sizzlin’ local hot spot in Bossier City.

Smashburger

Smile, you're at Smashburger

Smashburger is located at 2399 Airline Dr, Suite 600, Bossier City, LA 71111. Make your way over for a burger and tell them you read my blog.

See ya around Bossier,

Robin Williams,
Bossier Chamber of Commerce Diplomat & Marketing Maven at Holiday Lanes

Are you Jaded?

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Jaded the Boutique Ribbon Cutting

Jaded the Boutique Ribbon Cutting

Have you been jaded when it comes to your shopping experiences? Well then Jaded the Boutique is just for you. Jaded the Boutique features exclusive lines of infant-children’s apparel, junior-women’s apparel, custom baby bedding, and all sorts of accessories! Their lines for Spring include: Monoreno Mur, Hazel, Willow & Clay, Silver Jeans, Giggle Moon, ELand kids, Shana K, Radzoli, & Ya Ya Club! They have a very vintage feel for Spring.

Jaded the Boutique Ribbon Cutting

Jaded the Boutique Ribbon Cutting

I attended the Bossier Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting at Jaded the Boutique on Saturday and was pleasantly surprised to find a full house. A fashion show was on the agenda and there were plenty of people excitedly waiting to see the line of exclusive clothing. As I looked around, it made me wish (only for a hot second) that I had a little baby, because they have ultra-cute infant clothing. I was ooh-ing and ahh-ing over them. Definitely saw some cute gift ideas for the babies on my list.

Jaded the Boutique Ribbon Cutting

Jaded the Boutique Ribbon Cutting

Jessica Williamson is the owner of Jaded the Boutique and it was very obvious that she has put a lot of time and heart into her new business. She was supported by her pastor at the ribbon cutting and many of her friends. Something that I just have to mention is the table of goodies. Natalie Williamson provided the confections for the day. There were mini-cupcakes, regular sized cupcakes and I have to say, the cake-pops were to die for.
Cake Pops

Cake Pops - sorry pic is blurry

I tried to find out if Natalie had a business that sold the yummy treats, but they said “no, she just made them for the event.” What a great testament of support to Jessica.

Jaded the Boutique is located at 2142 Airline Drive, Bossier City, LA, (318) 752-5663. Stop by and tell Jessica you read my blog.

See ya around Bossier,

Robin Williams,
Bossier Chamber of Commerce Diplomat &
Marketing Maven at Holiday Lanes

More Power!

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Bossier Power Equipment Ribbon Cutting

Bossier Power Equipment Ribbon Cutting

Ok people, I walked into the new location of Bossier Power Equipment and was simply amazed. Where else can you go to look at super power equipment and feel like you are at a gift shop for the handyman, or woman in my case? I did not expect that when I went to this ribbon cutting that I would walk away really, really wanting to buy a Gravely Pro-Turn 200. Wouldn’t I look great cutting my lawn with that?

Bossier Power Equipment Ribbon Cutting

Charlie, Bonnie & Mayor Walker

Charlie and Bonnie Williamson humbly showed us around their beautiful facility. Mayor Walker mentioned that this was the first time he had been to an equipment store where the women were just as impressed as the men. This is definitely not the equipment store of the past. Their staff was on hand to answer questions about the array of products and information about their business. I was impressed that there was a great mix of both men and women available to help.
Previously located at Meadowview Dr & Hwy 80, Bossier Power Equipment moved to this location because the city purchased the store for a road project. The new Benton Road location is like a mini shrine for power equipment, in fact, Charlie told us that they also hold church services at this location on Sundays. But, don’t get me wrong, I’m certain they aren’t worshiping the power equipment. These are definitely faithful followers of the Lord.

Bossier Power Equipment Ribbon Cutting

Bossier Power Equipment Ribbon Cutting

Bossier Power Equipment has been serving the Shreveport and Bossier area proudly for over 20 years. It doesn’t matter if you are a commercial lawn care professional with a large fleet or a homeowner with a small yard, Bossier Power Equipment has the equipment to suit your needs. They have a first-class Service department and can handle anything from minor tune-ups and maintenance to major overhauls. I know who to call when I can’t get my mower started.

Bossier Power Equipment is located at 2101 Benton Road, Bossier City, LA 71111, phone number (318) 747-6611. They also have a second location at 862 Havens Road, Shreveport, LA 71107. Stop by one of their locations and tell them you read my blog.

See ya around Bossier,

Robin Williams,
Bossier Chamber of Commerce Diplomat &
Marketing Maven at Holiday Lanes

Bizzuka + Bossier = Success!

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Bizzuka! I’ll say it again, Bizzuka! I just like that name. It has a fun ring to it.

Bizzuka

Bizzuka

Bizzuka is a new web solutions and internet marketing business in the Shreveport-Bossier area. I attended the ribbon cutting at the Bossier Chamber of Commerce office on Wednesday and was quite interested to hear about this company. Being that I dabble in web design, I’m always looking for people that I can connect with to utilize as a resource.

Bizzuka Ribbon Cutting

Bizzuka Ribbon Cutting

Lisa Slifkin and Tim Harms head up the Shreveport team of Bizzuka. The company is based in Lafayette, Louisiana and is one of the premier web development, content management, and internet marketing firms in the U.S. If you don’t believe me, just listen to this: Bizzuka was named to Inc. 5000’s annual list of fastest growing privately owned U.S. companies, ranking with the top ten in Louisiana and number 1513 nationwide.

Casey Cagle, VP of Bus Dev

VP of Bus Dev

Casey Cagle, VP of Business Development, was on hand and told us that the company has been in business for 11 years and is constantly striving to remain on the cusp of technology. They have developed a CMS software called OnDecc that makes your site flexible and extensible like no other. Bizzuka has a staff of 40 people, which not only includes programmers, but graphic designers as well. I know how important it is to have both. As a graphic designer myself, the look of a website is just as important as how it works.

Bizzuka Ribbon Cutting

Bizzuka Ribbon Cutting

Bizzuka has also been in the business of systems development for mobile applications for 10 years, with an extensive library of over 150 apps that they provide as resources for their clients. Casey told me about one of the apps that they developed that allows people in the Lafayette area to check traffic patterns in their area. He also mentioned that they have many practical apps that are ready for their clients to utilize. Bizzuka’s Component Web Solutions are specifically designed to give you access to functionality you need when you need it. Add internet marketing to the mix and get ready to drive conversions & revenue to your bottom line.

Bizzuka is currently offering a free evaluation. Give Lisa a call today at 318-532-4600, ext 151 and tell her that you read my blog.

See ya around Bossier,

Robin Williams,
Bossier Chamber of Commerce Diplomat &
Marketing Maven at Holiday Lanes