Inaugural economic inclusion symposium heading to downtown BR

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) is hosting an inaugural Economic Inclusion Symposium on Thursday, Aug. 18.

The event will take place at the Raising Cane’s River Center in downtown Baton Rouge.

Click here to take a look at the full agenda, session descriptions and to register.

Programming will speak to a wide range of individuals, including C-suite executives, diversity and inclusion practitioners, small business owners, HR professionals, and minority- and women-business owners. Presentations from national and local speakers will spotlight best practices for fostering greater levels of economic inclusion within the workplace and the community featuring a keynote presentation by DOW’s Corporate Director of Sustainability Eunice Heath. Additional sessions by local leaders will cover topics of creating an inclusive workplace and finding economic empowerment through entrepreneurship.

The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Registration for the event is $65 for BRAC investors and $80 for non-investors.

The Symposium will also feature a Baton Rouge Procurement Opportunity Partnership (BR-POP) Vendor Connect Showcase for small, minority and veteran business owners to connect with contracting opportunities. Businesses hosting booths in the showcase include:

· BASF

· Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana

· DOW

· EBRPSS Fair Share

· Entergy

· ExxonMobil

· Jacobs

· L’Auberge

· LSU

· Ochsner Health

· Our Lady of the Lake

· Turner Industries

· Shell

Additionally, small business resource providers will be available at the showcase for business owners to connect with. Small business resource providers hosting booths include:

· B1 Foundation

· Baton Rouge Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce

· BRAC Small Business Services

· Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana

· Louisiana Chamber of Commerce Foundation

· Louisiana Department of Transportation

· Louisiana Economic Development

· Louisiana Minority Business Development Agency Business Center

· SJB Group

· Small Business Administration

· Small Business Development Center at Southern University

· Women’s Business Enterprise Council South