Displaying items by tag: LABI

Louisiana Business shorts for today: Warner Brothers, Louisiana Economic Development Summit; Jefferson Chamber Legislative Agenda breakfast with Stephen Waguespack, Michael Hecht of GNO Inc:

The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry is the largest and most politically powerful business group in the state. Last week at the 2018 Annual Meeting in Baton Rouge, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) formally announced its officers and Board of Directors for 2018, along with the members of the 2018 LABI Emerging Leaders Council, a group of distinguished entrepreneurs and young professionals. LABI is pleased and proud to be guided by some of the top leaders and talent from the Louisiana business community from every corner of the state.

Oped by Stephen Waguespack, President and CEO of Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, LABI
 
Today, coalition members from local chambers of commerce, civic organizations and business associations across the state came together to announce a campaign to open the books on government spending in Louisiana. 

by Stephen Waguespack, President and CEO of Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI)

Not sure if you have noticed or not, but there is something called the fiscal cliff looming in Louisiana. If you haven’t heard of it yet, sit tight, because you will hear a whole lot about it over the next few months.

The 2018 crisis will be filled with plenty of drama, finger pointing and inflammatory rhetoric. Every (former, current and future) politician will say it is the other (former, current and future) politician’s fault for the deficits and lack of agreement on the appropriate mixture of taxes and cuts to fill it.

Interestingly and apparantly, carping about the Asian fish invasion in the Great Lakes should not be taken lightly. The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, LABI, has taken a position regarding the spread of Asian Carp into the Great Lakes and surrounding waterways, although the focus of the controversy is hundreds of miles away from the state.

Below is a press release from the major business and industry organization in Louisiana.

by Stephen Waguespack
President and CEO of Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
In 1993, professional basketball star Charles Barkley made headlines when he used a Nike commercial to say, “I am not a role model…. just because I can dunk a basketball doesn’t mean I should raise your kids…. parents should be role models.”

These were quite controversial comments at that time. While some agreed wholeheartedly, many saw his comments as an excuse for perceived bad behavior on his part and that of several other athletes during that era.

Is Louisiana looking at another special session in 2018 to deal with—what seems to be the never-ending budget shortfall?  What is Governor John Bel Edwards doing to fix what appears to be an annual rite of spring—budgetary emergency management? And, just how bad is the budget bleeding going to be given that the state could fall off that proverbial fiscal cliff which near-fall was softened two years ago with a penny sales tax increase and other measures?

In part three of the November 2 interview with Stephen Waguespack, the President, and CEO of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, the leader of the largest business organization in the state discussed these and other issues confronting the state, once again.

Have Louisiana’s storms of budget slashes and revenue bloats come to an end?  Months ago, the Governor John Bel Edwards administration announced that the state’s revenues have increased, thus, the fiscal year ended with a, get this, a surplus of over one hundred million dollars.

No doubt,  the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry supports tax reform and, in general, the key legislation coming out of the House of Representatives.  Supporting or taking positions on various state and national legislative instruments is what LABI does along with providing other services key to its members and the community. 

The Louisiana legislative session is approaching, the economy is improving, the state is suffering a budget deficit yet conditions are better than expected.

The Louisiana business community has certain needs. what are they? What is it doing to improve conditions for small and large businesses in the state?