The Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce made two exciting announcements Monday.

On Oct. 31, the chamber announced that they were named partner of the year for the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI), and that a new hire was made in the Northwest Louisiana Procurement Technical Assistance Center (NW LA PTAC), located inside Chamber Plaza.

Partner of the Year Award

As part of the LABI recent announcement of its 2022 Free Enterprise Award winners, the chamber was announced as the recipient of the 2022 Economic Development Partner of the Year Award.

“We are honored to be recognized by LABI for our partnership this year,” said Dr. Timothy Magner, President of the Greater Shreveport Chamber.

The Award recognizes exceptional leadership by an economic development or business organization.

“The Free Enterprise Awards are a chance for us to celebrate the job creators and changemakers that are making Louisiana a better place to work, live and raise a family,” said LABI President and CEO Stephen Waguespack. “Each of this year’s winners have made a profound impact on the Louisiana business community and we are proud to honor their service."

Magner said, "we appreciate how critical it is that all of our Chambers and Economic Development organizations work together to improve our local, regional and state economy, and we are grateful to be highlighted for our engagement in that effort.”

The Shreveport Chamber will be honored along with the other winners on Thursday, November 10, at the 2022 Free Enterprise Awards: Business and Boots, presented by b1BANK.

The event will be held at the LABI Center for Free Enterprise at 500 Main Street in downtown Baton Rouge and will begin at 6 p.m.

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New member of the Northwest Louisiana Procurement Technical Assistance Center

The chamber announced that they have hired DeShana Hall as a contract specialist at the NW LA PTAC, located inside Chamber Plaza.

“We’re delighted to welcome DeShana to the Chamber team,” said Dr. Timothy Magner, President of the Chamber. “She brings a wealth of business experience and a passion for our region to her work. We are confident that our local businesses will benefit from her experience, assistance, and customer service skills.”

Hall, a Louisiana State University-Shreveport and Centenary College graduate, joins the NW LA PTAC from Hall Builders following an impressive career in business and construction management and in education at both the K-12 and the post-secondary levels.

The primary mission of the PTAC is to positively impact and grow the local economy by increasing the number of federal, state and local government contract dollars being awarded to businesses located in our region, thereby creating and retaining jobs.

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Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: New hires and awards at Shreveport Chamber of Commerce