BIZ. October 2014

Scaring upbusinessHaunted tours are a majorattraction throughoutLouisiana, includingShreveport-Bossier

October 2014

DELIVERED TO BUSINESS LEADERS THROUGHOUT SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER

LISTEN UP!Podcast of the Month

Page 9

Getting offthe ground Scaling A Business Takes More Than JustGetting It Started

UnCommonSenseScaling Your Business

Dave Ramsey SaysQuit small business for new job?

2 Biz. Magazine • October 2014

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The First Word

October 2014 • Biz. Magazine 3

scaling is one of the business buzzwords of the moment. Essentially, “scaling” is tanta-mount to “growing.” The ability to scale means reaching the ability to grow up ANDout. You hear it thrown around a lot when it comes to new businesses. Yes, the entre-preneurial spirit is alive and well in Shreveport-Bossier and all of northwest Louisiana.But the need to scale exists for businesses of all types and sizes.

You ask the big boys and they will tell you they want to keep their budgets in the black, keepgrowing, keep making more money for their coffers and their team. They want to scale.

If you’ve built a successful platform to reach people and convert them into clients and evenfans, now is the time to grow. All that effort, which can reach Hercules-level, is for naught if youdon’t scale.

But before you grow, you need to ask yourself one very important question: What does it looklike?

If you’re making a profit and ready to expand, your vision of scalability really comes down toyour mission. Are you building a business to support an unstructured, autonomous lifestyle?Do you want to be CEO with your own team? Is your goal to hit a home run, sell and retireearly? Is your scaling aiming to reach more people to make a difference in your community? Orare you merely trying to increase profits for the viability of your business?

Once you know your goal, your mission, your personal motivation behind your business, thenyou will know the necessary size of your customer base, how much you need to be involved,and personnel requirements.

Your why puts you on the path to your how.

Honestly, this is something we’ve been asking ourselves recently at BIZ. Our mission is simple— educate local businesses and build leaders to improve our business community. We evenhave a motto: “Applied knowledge = power.” We give you information to empower you to leadand change your business, your community, your corner of the world.

But why? I’d be lying if I didn’t say we want to make a profit. But as I see it, our mission and ourmotivation are inseparable. Why I wake up in the morning is to improve our business environ-ment and if we focus on that, it guides how we scale. And therefore, how we make the money

to do that. It is a self propelling scenario, one that is essen-tial to not only our growth here at BIZ., but for Shreveport-Bossier.

And the more advice and info we share with each other,the better off we all are in our little corner of the world.

We’re all in the same boat here — we want to grow, youwant to grow, and we want you to grow.

In this month’s edition, we dissect how Shreveport’s CoHabhas moved from a co-working space to focusing on incu-bating entrepreneurs with scalable ideas. We will alsoidentify the differences between a startup and a smallbusiness. We look at the importance of scaling, why YOUshould scale, and (most importantly) how you can scale.

We look forward to growing up with you.

Do you want yourbusiness to grow up?Everyone should want to scale

their business/company

Sean GreenSean is vice president/publisher ofBIZ. You can follow him on twitter@editorsean.


Contents

Volume 5, Number 10 | ©Copyright 2014 by Specht Newspapers, Inc. All rights reserved. BIZ. is published each month by Specht Newspapers,Inc. at 4250 Viking Drive, Bossier City, LA 71111. Telephone (318) 747-7900. Information in this publication is gathered from sources considered tobe reliable, but the accuracy and completeness of the information cannot be guaranteed.

14How high can you go?As CoHab moves from a coworking space to anentrepreneur incubator, Director John Grindleydiscusses how to tell if your business is scalableor not.

16You can’t build up without a strongfoundationSteps for building a platform to scale your busi-ness from.

17Bossier ChamberATHENA AwardnomineesMeet the eight nomineesfor the yearly awardgiven to women whohave attained the high-est level of professionalexcellence, devoted timeand energy to improvethe quality of life forothers in the community,and have opened doorsof leadership opportuni-ties for women.

3 Do you want your business to grow

up?Everyone should want to scale their business/company.

5 WANT to growImprove profits through education.

6 Surprise!...I’m leavingHow to handle the departure of a valued team member.

11 Get some leverageTo scale, you need to find leverage & systemize everything in your business.

20 Scaring up businessHaunted tours are highly popular throughout Louisiana, incluiding Shreveport-Bossier.

26 What’s on tap in OctoberBeer is the word for a weekend unwind this month in Shreveport.

Regulars

On the CoverThe latest round of downrtown Pop UPS in-cludes a entrepreneur couple who are livingtheir “Ice Cream Dream”

BIZ. News OnlineThe BIZ. website at www.nwlabusiness.com is Shreveport-Bossier’shome for business news, updated as it happens. In addition, users cansign up for a free BIZ. Daily Report to keep up with BIZ. news from thecomfort of their Inbox.

Want to advertise? http://bizmagsb.com/adrates/

4 Biz. Magazine • October 2014 October 2014 • Biz. Magazine 5

Win-Win Powertools

David Specht, ownerand originator of themany BIZ Featureshas started producingBIZ Pod-Casts. Heuses me as his co-

host. There is a new one eachweek to help you and megrow our businesses. Prima-rily, I’m there to ask “why”,“what” and “how”. That’s nota difficult job for me, be-

cause I’m always eager tohear about the latest topic ofbusiness help from the BIZ.As we were recording the lat-est BIZ pod-cast, Davidleaned across the BIZ broad-cast table and asked the pen-etrating question…. “Don’tyou want to grow your busi-ness?” For both you and me, Ianswered “Yes”. Davidquickly asked “Why?” I

began talking aboutwanting success, money,growth and a bright fu-ture. While under thegun, so to speak, I beganto think about how badlyI really wanted these.

When I began my sec-ond career as a speaker,trainer and coach, Ifound a business namein Steven Covey’s book…”The 7 Habits of HighlyEffective People®” Hisfourth habit is “ThinkWin-Win”. I couldn’t getthe quote out of mymind. I wanted myclients to win. If theywon, I’d win. I thenbegan thinking abouthow badly do I wantthem to win. I looked upquotes about winning,and of course, landed onwords from iconic foot-

ball coach Vince Lombardi. Awell known quote credited tohim was “Winning isn’teverything, it’s the onlything.” Come to find out thatis not his quote. What he didsay was “Winning isn’t every-thing… wanting to win is!” Itseemed obvious to me thathe wanted players whowanted to win and who thuspracticed to win and playedto win.

That was a long way aroundto go for this question….”Doyou want to grow your busi-ness?” David Specht has anew way of putting it. “Doyou want to scale your busi-ness?”If you want some more infor-mation on SCALING yourbusiness, turn the pages ofthe BIZ Magazine….find theBIZ Podcasts on ITunes orSticker Radio and listen toDavid answer my questions…Talk to David Specht….InviteDavid and BIZ Publisher,Sean Green to your nextcompany meeting or salesmeeting. His e-mail [email protected].

Good Selling… I mean SCAL-ING!

Jerry

Jerry FrentressSpeaker & Coach, Win-Win Power(ful)Tools for Sales, Service and EmployeeInterviewing. Website: www.WinWin-PowerTools.com.

Business Facebook:www.Facebook.com/WinWinPower-Tools . 453-6080 / Bossier City

WANT togrow

Improve profits through education


Randy BrownAdvertising/Marketing Guru

He is the Advertising Director forBossier Newspaper Publishing Com-pany, Inc., publishers of the BossierPress-Tribune and BIZ. Magazine, aswell as Publisher of the BPT. Randymay be reached at [email protected]

Marketing B-S (Bossier-Shreveport)

What happens when a team memberresigns from your team unexpect-edly? As for me, I never take thenews well. When faced with this situ-ation, I think it is always important tokeep your emotions in check. Re-

member, it is easy for people to think the grass isgreener somewhere else. And, some people arealways in search of “greener grass.” However,most times, the search for “greener grass” doesnot turn out as planned.

What should we do when a team member leavesour team? Well, the first thing I think of doing isgetting through the immediacy of the imminentsituation. Some business leaders recommendtrying to talk the person out of leaving. However,I am not much of one to do this, if their mind isalready made up to leave.

True, most times it is never a good thing for ateam member to leave the team for any reason. The loss will most likely mean a major change inthe cultural dynamics of your internal organiza-

tional environment. However, adopt the survivalmode mentality! Again, focus on getting throughthe situation. As such, plan to immediately tohire a replacement. If at all possible, promotefrom within your organization. This is always aplus and also a great morale booster to the mem-bers of your team - as they will see that theirhard work may very well pay off for them by wayof a future promotion. As a backup plan, it neverhurts to have at least two to three resumes wait-ing in the wings - just in case promotion fromwithin is not a viable option.

If you must hire from outside of your organiza-tion, always remember (as Dave Ramsey's rulesays) "hire slow, fire fast." Hire the best fit foryour present needs in combination with the per-son that you truly feel is the best fit for your or-ganizational team.

If you hire outsideyour organization,

remember: "Hire slow,fire fast."

Surprise!...I’m leavingHow to handle the departure of a valued team member


What happens when a team memberresigns from your team unexpect-edly? As for me, I never take thenews well. When faced with this situ-ation, I think it is always important tokeep your emotions in check. Re-

member, it is easy for people to think the grass isgreener somewhere else. And, some people arealways in search of “greener grass.” However,most times, the search for “greener grass” doesnot turn out as planned.

What should we do when a team member leavesour team? Well, the first thing I think of doing isgetting through the immediacy of the imminentsituation. Some business leaders recommendtrying to talk the person out of leaving. However,I am not much of one to do this, if their mind isalready made up to leave.

True, most times it is never a good thing for ateam member to leave the team for any reason. The loss will most likely mean a major change inthe cultural dynamics of your internal organiza-

tional environment. However, adopt the survivalmode mentality! Again, focus on getting throughthe situation. As such, plan to immediately tohire a replacement. If at all possible, promotefrom within your organization. This is always aplus and also a great morale booster to the mem-bers of your team - as they will see that theirhard work may very well pay off for them by wayof a future promotion. As a backup plan, it neverhurts to have at least two to three resumes wait-ing in the wings - just in case promotion fromwithin is not a viable option.

If you must hire from outside of your organiza-tion, always remember (as Dave Ramsey's rulesays) "hire slow, fire fast." Hire the best fit foryour present needs in combination with the per-son that you truly feel is the best fit for your or-ganizational team.


Biz ToolsDo Something

The speed of business is ever increasing. The successful business leaderstays on top of the tools and information to help his company grow.

App of the Month

SlackWhat if you had a team chat app that actually was easy to use for everyone? Slack has rein-vented team chat. It’s real-time chat, private messaging, and archiving with search acrosseverything in an app that’s simple to integrated in your team’s workflow.

At its core, Slack is just a group chat app, along the lines of Hipchat and Campfire. And yet,it’s so much more than that, something that’s apparent right from the signup. You can set itto let anyone with an @yourdomain.com email address automatically join your chat groupsjust by signing up, sans-invite, which makes it incredibly easy for everyone to start using.

On the BIZ. Tools Podcast

This Month:Why Join A Chamber of Commerce?

10 Habits with Butch Bellah

Last MonthTribes

Scaling Your Business

Listen to the BIZ. Tools Podcast at:boztoolspodcast.com

#WorthFollowing

@editorsean@davidaspecht

@bizmagsb@cohab

@Entreleadership

Book of the Month

To be successful in the market today, you must possess twostrategic assets: a compelling product and a meaningfulplatform. In this step-by-step guide, Michael Hyatt, formerCEO and current Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers,takes readers behind the scenes, into the new world of so-cial media success. He shows you what best-selling au-

thors, public speakers, entrepreneurs, musicians, and othercreatives are doing differently to win customers in today’scrowded marketplace. Hyatt speaks from experience. He writesone of the top 800 blogs in the world and has more than 100,000followers on Twitter. His large and growing platform serves as thefoundation for his successful writing, speaking, and consultingpractice.

In Platform, Hyatt will teach readers not only how to extend theirinfluence, but also how to monetize it and build a sustainable ca-reer. The key? By building a platform. It has never been easier, lessexpensive, or more possible than right now. .

— Amazon.com


More Tools

Podcast of the MonthSeth Godin’s Startup School

Seth Godin is a thought leader in the marketing and businessworld. In this rare live recording, hear Seth as he guides thirtyentrepreneurs through a workshop exploring how they canbuild and run their dream business.

This podcast is 15 episodes long and was recorded live.

— Stitcher Radio

Bigger, Longer & More Valuable(But Still with Coffee and Donuts)

BIZ. Breakfast @ CoHab


Communications company Cisco estimates video will account for close to 70% of all in-ternet traffic by 2017, and videos are a great way to show off what your company is allabout, cool products you retail, and proof of performance for services you provide.Don’t have a photographer’s eye? (Or the time to dabble…) Here are some tips for whenyou are looking to hire a company to shoot videos for your web content:

Request (and watch!) their demo reel. Do they have versatility or are they best with one style?Does that style fit with your vision of your company’s branding?

Ask and answer a LOT of questions. Creative processes require tons of communication so eachparty understands the abilities, vision, and limitations of the other party. Will you need graphicdesign? Sound design? Multiple formats of the same video for various platforms? Shorter,trailer-like versions to promote lengthier pieces? The more you and your production team com-municate before a project, the more smoothly each part of the process will go. Also, communi-cation prevents surprises from showing up on the invoice!

Show up with a budget. A video professional or production company should be able to giveyou up-front pricing about how much they charge per hour for shooting and editing. Northwest

Louisiana is blessed with lots of skilled video profession-als, so don’t be afraid to get several quotes.

And a last, quick tip for if you shoot a tutorial or othervideo on your smart phone to post to your company’s so-cial media: people will watch shaky or pixilated video ifthe content is what they’re looking for, but bad audio willstop even the most ardent fans from watching a clip.

_________________________

New Caddo Parish Schools Superintendent Dr. TheodisLamar Goree, Jr., will speak at the next Greater ShreveportChamber of Commerce Business Development Connectionluncheon about how Caddo Schools are preparing our fu-ture workforce. Join us October 16 at 11:30am at the Pe-troleum Club (416 Travis Street, 15th floor, downtownShreveport). Luncheon admission is $20 for the buffet,with one-day cancellation notice required. RSVP [email protected] or (318) 677-2500.

Business Development

Jill MacchiavernaJill is Publicity Chair, Business Devel-opment Connection for the GreaterShreveport Chamber of Commerce.

Video is the wayto go

Consider this when marketing your site


Most businesses want to expand their clientbase and earn more revenue. As new clientsare added, resources are added, too, inorder to supply and support the productionand delivery of your product. We hear theterms “grow” and “scale,” and there is a dif-

ference between them. Scaling is the ability to add a lotof revenue — quickly — without adding a lot of cost andresources, while still delivering an excellent product andservice.

Traditional growth usually adds revenue at the same rateas adding more costs. Scaling adds revenue while addingfewer resources and cost. If each product sale takes asmuch time and effort as another sale, you aren't scalable.

Want to scale?

1. Leverage: Look for ways to sell your products or serv-ices in a more leveraged way that doesn’t require a tonmore manpower, effort or time.

2. Systems: Build processes and systematize everything in your business. This will ensureyour product delivery is the same quality order after order and will keep you from constantlyputting out fires.

To leverage, ask this: Can you mass produce your product? Can you deliver your productfaster or cheaper or eliminate delivery costs altogether? How can you leverage your time andresources?

n If you sell one-to-one now, how can you sell one-to-many?n If you sell face to face now, how can you sell online?n If you use snail mail now, how can email help?n If you sell individual products, how can you bundle your products?

What should you systematize? Everything! You’ll want a new client system, a production sys-tem, a billing system, a follow up system, etc., and each of these may have sub-systems. How can you easily create systems for your business?

n Each person documents every business function they perform. n Create a notebook (hard copy or online) for each functional area and put the step-by-steplists there. Keep it all in one central place that’s easily accessible. n When it’s time to do that task again, pull out your list and go right down the steps. Nothingis forgotten, the quality should be the same, and no brain cells were expended in trying to re-member all the steps and in which order they need to be done.

Take time now to get your systems in place and start to leverage. Scaling will be a lot easierand less frustrating!

Uncommon Sense Marketing

Get someleverage

Amy KinnairdMarketing StrategistTrainer and Speaker

With over 35 years experience in mar-keting and training, Amy helps busi-ness owners put together the rightplan. If you struggle with your market-ing and don’t know where to start…If what you used to do for marketingisn’t working anymore…If it’s time toget clear about your business andcome up with a good plan…call Amy at318-795-0520 or visit her website:www.UnCommonSenseMarketing.com

To scale, you need to findleverage & systemize


From the Bossier Chamber

In every community there are people from all walks of lifethat venture into the world of entrepreneurship. Some ofthe best known companies in the world started small andthere is much success to be found as a small businessowner. Unfortunately there are also many pitfalls for busi-ness owners to navigate. Here are some of the top mis-

takes new business owners have made, and what you canavoid to better your business success. And remember, asyou’re getting out of the gate, look to the Bossier Chamber ofCommerce for assistance. Our staff’s expertise can help guideyou through many of the tips and suggestions written out here.Our resources stretch as far as our welcome – which is a prettyfar reach. 1. Always create a business plan - Business plans are not justfor requesting a start-up loan. A good business plan will helpyou clearly define your business goals and objectives, market-

ing strategies, contingencyplans for start-up chal-lenges and thinkingthrough how your busi-ness will survive and growpast its infancy. Success-ful businesses have a plan,so that is step one!2. Don’t get emotional -Sound business decisionscan fly out the windowwhen a business owner al-lows their emotional at-tachment for their productor service to get in theway of good sense. Havepeople that you can relyon to bounce ideas off of

who will shoot straight with you. Listen to the facts and do re-search before making major business decisions that couldhave long reaching effects on your business.3. Be realistic about early profits - Statistically, most smallbusinesses start to see a profit after the first year or two ofopening. Not all small business owners are prepared for this,so it is recommended to have a source of reliable income orsavings to sustain the business owner and the business duringthis fledgling time.4. Be careful not to overspend right out of the gate - Making agreat first impression is important, but choose your expendi-tures carefully. Identify the top priority items and schedulepurchases of other desired items as the first two years of busi-ness come along so that the business is not buried under debtfrom the start5. Hire carefully - Cautiously consider what, if any, staff is nec-essary to fulfill your services. It is better to start out lightlystaffed and add more when you need it, then to go through allof the hassles of cutting back excess staff after-the-fact. Whenyou do choose to hire, be careful to bring on people who canprovide good customer service and can adapt to selling yourproduct or service quickly. Poor customer service is one of thequickest ways to sink your business.6. Location, location, location! - Location is very important forany business, but make sure it is the right fit for your business.It is easy to fall prey to super low commercial lease pricingeven if the space is not in an ideal location. Inexpensive rentdoes not make up for what will happen if no one knows whereyour business is located. Consider if you can work out of yourhome or truly need space. If you determine that you do needcommercial space, think through how much space you reallyneed to start out and make sure that if you need visibility, yourlocation is not the super cheap warehouse space down an un-used service road.

7. Don’t underestimate the power of good marketing - All toooften a new business owner makes the mistake of believingthat their product or service will sell itself. This is a commonmisconception that costs many small businesses the successthey could have had if a marketing plan had been in place. Bestrategic in choosing marketing venues that will suit your busi-ness and appeal to your target customer, but never believethat marketing is not necessary…it is!8. Cash flow will sometime have kinks - Slow business or un-paid invoices can leave a business low on cash. Be sure to es-tablish an emergency plan for paying your business bills byeither having an account for emergency cash or getting a lineof credit from a bank so that you don’t fall behind while wait-ing for things to pick up.9. Protect your personal assets - Be sure to protect yourselfwith the proper liability insurance for your company and struc-ture your business appropriately to keep your personal andprofessional assets separate. From sole proprietor to corpora-tions, there are varying degrees of liability to you dependingon how you structure the ownership of your business. Care-fully consider your options and use tools available through thelocal small business development center and through the sec-retary of state’s website. Making the right decision here willshape business success and protect you and your employees.10. It’s all about who you know - Success tends to hinge onwho you know. Building your network of business partnersand potential clients is worth the time spent at weekly ormonthly networking events. One hour spent shaking handsand giving out business cards can produce amazing contactsand future customers that you would not have gotten by stay-ing in the office. Networking must be a priority.

Monique RouxDirector of Business Development andMilitary Relations Liaison,Bossier Chamber of Commerce

Ginger CollierDirector of Communications,Bossier Chamber of Commerce

Don’t circle the drainAvoid the major mistakes made by many new businesses


Don’t circle the drainAvoid the major mistakes made by many new businesses

While LCI Workers’ Comp has never loosened a single lug nut, we have worked alongside local business owners for more than 25 years—providing expert guidance, exceptional service and free training programs like QuickBooksTM, online marketing, and safety education. :: lciwc.com :: 985-612-1230

Put us to work for you.


Cover Story

Continued on Page 18

Story & Graphic By Sean Green

As CoHab moves from a coworking space to anentrepreneur incubator, Director John Grindleydiscusses how to tell if your business is scalable

or not


If you were to talk about a new company you wanted to start, you would probably use thewords “small business” and “startup” interchangeably. It’s okay, many people do it, includ-ing the author of this article. Fact is, they are two very different models and the perceptionthat comes with each can affect how they operate and how much money is brought in tosaid operation.

Small businesses are ventures that are anywhere from decades old or started weeks ago andeither through design or uncontrollable limitations will only be one size — small. But startupsare fledgling businesses that are meant to grow quickly. Many startups begin life as a smallbusiness and then realize they can scale, but if a business is just to put food on the table foryou, your family and your employees and their families, then you have a small business.

That ability to scale, and scale quickly, is what separates small businesses and start ups.

“The differences between a small business and a start up are tremendous. Many people con-fuse the terms or make the synonymous all the time,” said JohnGrindley, director of CoHab. “The difference is a startup is scal-able of profit, multiple products, locations and people.”

Scaling is a hot topic for CoHab right now. Shreveport’s firstmajor co-working space has grown its mission to focus on incu-bating starts ups. The Red River District-based non profit is fo-cusing on bringing in 8-10 start ups and giving them the tools,coaching, advice, and resources necessary to achieve prerequi-site, but individualized goals for each member, with the goalbeing to scale out of CoHab altogether.

“Our goal is to cultivate and grow entrepreneurs in multipleand various stages of development and focus those efforts oneight to 10 startups per cycle that have milestones they mustmeet in order to grow in the program with local mentors and

Cover Story

When we talk about scale, what do start ups need to take into consider-ation?

“Startups need to consider solving their problems the leanest waypossible,” said John Grindley, director of CoHab, Shreveport-Bossier’snew startup incubator.

Several questions are raised when you want to scale. Ask yourself these to seewhere your business falls on the spectrum:

n What can I do to reach more customers and what channels do I tap into to do so?

n What can I do to reduce my costs?

n What can I replicate or duplicate about my business in other locations?

n What other products or revenue streams can I tap into with my company?

n What can I automate so I don't need as many people to manage what my busi-ness does?

Are you a startupor small business?

Photo Courtesy of CoHabThe Louisiana Startup Prize is a major event for local entrepreneurs that CoHab spon-sors and will play a part in the non-profit’s new mission.

John GrindleyDirector,CoHab Shreveport-BossierContinued on Page 24


SpotlightCover Story

You’re not a struggling startup anymore. You’ve got a rolodex ofclients/vendors, hundreds to thousands of customers, your own officespace, you’re even making some money. Now you’re ready to grow yourplatform.

The en vogue method of scaling is the social media model of building aplatform and gaining fans. Your platform needs to be strong and sturdy forgrowth later on. If you make your platform flexible, it won’t negatively impactyour team or your plan.

Here are steps on how to build a platform for scaling:

n Increase your profile — You need to reach people on their level. If you’re theboss, people want to reach you and you need to reach them. So get your imageand story out to the world through your website, blog, social media and evenspeaking engagements/public events.

n Make connections — “It’s all about who you know.” That long held tenant ofbusiness is still true, but now it’s about finding successful people who get it andleveraging these people’s influence to spread the word about your business andyour mission.

n Use your resources effectively — If you want to increase your profits by 10%,then use what you’ve already got. Assemble a great team, find a mentor, andbuild connections. Come up with a strategy and then act on it. If you don’t act,then you’re still taking action. It’s just a negative one.

n Under promise and over deliver — It’s easy when reaching out and presentingyourself to people that your image can exceed your capabilities. You need toknow your financial and manpower constraints and what you can and can’t do foryour customers, clients and vendors. Then make a promise that you know youwill wow them with.

n Don’t lose perspective — It’s easy to get bogged down by the day-in-day-outroutine that must get done. But if you don’t focus on the goal and plan how toget there, you will spin your wheels forever.

You can’t build upwithout a strongfoundation

Steps for building a platform to scale from


SpotlightCover Story

The Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce BusinessDevelopment Connection and the Bossier Chamber ofCommerce join each year to present deserving womenin the communitiy with the ATHENA Award.The ATHENAAward is presented to two individuals who have at-tained and personify the highest level of professional

excellence by showing creativity and initiative in their busi-ness or profession, have devoted time and energy to improvethe quality of life for others in the community in a meaningfulway, and have opened doors of leadership opportunities forwomen in order for them to achieve their full potential.

Below are the eight Bossier Chamber of Commerce nominees:

Lynn Nelson-StevensFighter, survivor, and most of all a giver. Those are the wordsthat come to mind when you hear the name Lynn Stevens.After leaving home at a very young age of 17 due to an abu-sive situation, she lived on the school grounds of her highschool. After being taken in by her Math teacher at the time,Lynn went onto graduate high school and later completing hercollege degree. Lynn puts her heart and soul into everythingshe does to be best of her ability. After the birth of her daugh-ter, Lynn was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy. This is justa health struggle she deals with daily, but not something thathas stopped her spunky spirit and the love she has for others.From raising over 30 million dollars for NWLA nonprofit organi-zations in the past nine years, to volunteering with the Provi-dence House Domestic Violence Shelter, and HOPEConnections as well as sitting on a numerous amount of localboards and organizations, such as serving as President of theQuota International, the oldest international service organiza-tion for women focused on empowering the deaf, hearing andspeech-impaired, Lynn has no time to focus on her disability.She currently serves as Chief Operating Officer for United Way.“I get up each day and truly feel blessed that I am able totouch every person that I come in contact with, and have theability to demonstrate advancement and leadership skills tobreak this typical stereotype of the disable.” Stated Lynn.

Jan Elkins“I started working for free, but moved up the ladder and havelived the American Dream!” stated Jan Elkins. For more than33 years, Jan has been a TV anchor for KTBS, which she nowholds the position as Community Project Director. Over thelast 25 years, Jan has been able to raise more than $27 milliondollars for St. Jude thru the St. Jude Dream home giveaway,

ATHENAAwards

Bossier Chamber of Commerce

names nominees for the award to

be handed out later this month

Continued on Page 19

You’re not a struggling startup anymore. You’ve got a rolodex ofclients/vendors, hundreds to thousands of customers, your own officespace, you’re even making some money. Now you’re ready to grow yourplatform.

The en vogue method of scaling is the social media model of building aplatform and gaining fans. Your platform needs to be strong and sturdy forgrowth later on. If you make your platform flexible, it won’t negatively impactyour team or your plan.

Here are steps on how to build a platform for scaling:

n Increase your profile — You need to reach people on their level. If you’re theboss, people want to reach you and you need to reach them. So get your imageand story out to the world through your website, blog, social media and evenspeaking engagements/public events.

n Make connections — “It’s all about who you know.” That long held tenant ofbusiness is still true, but now it’s about finding successful people who get it andleveraging these people’s influence to spread the word about your business andyour mission.

n Use your resources effectively — If you want to increase your profits by 10%,then use what you’ve already got. Assemble a great team, find a mentor, andbuild connections. Come up with a strategy and then act on it. If you don’t act,then you’re still taking action. It’s just a negative one.

n Under promise and over deliver — It’s easy when reaching out and presentingyourself to people that your image can exceed your capabilities. You need toknow your financial and manpower constraints and what you can and can’t do foryour customers, clients and vendors. Then make a promise that you know youwill wow them with.

n Don’t lose perspective — It’s easy to get bogged down by the day-in-day-outroutine that must get done. But if you don’t focus on the goal and plan how toget there, you will spin your wheels forever.

You can’t build upwithout a strongfoundation


One of the regular experiences of re-tail shopping is “here today, gonetomorrow” — stores open in stripmalls one day, only to close a monthlater. But this past May, the Down-town Shreveport Development Cor-

poration, Downtown Development Authorityand Citizens National Bank embraced thetrend of stores with short shelf lives, andturned it on its head to make the tickingclock work for the business instead ofagainst it.

Called Pop UP, the initiative saw 12 busi-nesses ranging from restaurants to homedécor take a low-risk chance at gaining a newaudience by opening for two weeks at vacantstorefronts in the Red River District rent-free.The buzz of this limited time event saw thou-sands of shoppers visit these stores, creatinga vibrancy in an otherwise quiet space.

“To be honest, we had no idea how Pop

UP would do. We knew that the concept hadworked in other cities but it was new andunique to us,” said Liz Swaine, director ofDDA. “We knew we were onto somethingwhen the applications started coming in. Werealized pretty quickly that there was a pent-up desire for more of everything downtown— more amenities, more shopping and din-ing opportu

Pop UP: Program helps startups find/attract new customers


which is a big passion of hers. In the past, Jan has served onmany local boards and currently serves on the McDade Houseboard. She formed the group The Phenomenal Women, agroup of ladies 20-25 who owned their own company or werethe CEO of Executive directors of Non-Profits. Jan has re-ceived several awards in her career such as Louisiana MediaAward; Excellence in Medical Reporting Award, The GabrielAward and the list goes on and on. And in case this TV thingdoes not work out, Jan has a Master Degree in her backpocket to carry on her great accomplishments. As Jan as said,“If I can make a difference in one person’s life, my career willbe worth it.”

Venita McCellon-AllenVenita is the driving force for employee volunteerism andcorporate giving. After joining SWEPCO in 1983, Venita hasworked her way into many job titles. From a communicationsrepresentative to now she holds the title as President andChief Operating Officer for SWEPCO. AS well as overseeing acompany that serves over 530,000 customers in LA, AR, andEast Texas and the panhandle area of North Texas, she is alsothe President and Chief Operating Officer for AEP Texas.Under Venita’s leadership, SWEPCO has been a Pacesettercompany for the NW Louisiana United Way and is leading thecampaign to date. Venita is a member of the Committee of100 for both local and state chapters as well as a currentmember of Executive Women in Energy, an association forwomen professionals that provides networking opportunitiesfor women in the energy industry and fosters career and lead-ership development. She has been featured in a nationalcampaign for Clean Coal sponsored by the American Coalitionfor Clean Coal.

Terri AxelsonTerri began working as a key national executive with Ever-green Life Services in early 2014. Through her creativity andinitiative, she developed a needed structure and processes tocoordinate social enterprises and overall development forEvergreen, making a significant positive impact across ourseven state service area and over 2,400 employees. She wasinstrumental in developing a national sales strategy with theEvergreen HEAVENDROP product line and most recently inbringing attention and opportunities to the Bossier/Shreve-port Art Center helping artists with disabilities market theircreations throughout the community (including The Do GoodStore at the Boardwalk). She combines her health and humanservices experience with her Real Estate experience as a li-censed REALTOR®, specializing to meet their specific needsthrough what is often an arduous journey. Terri’s professionalhistory has been in the field of Social and Human Servicessince 1983, with a prior experience in Business Administra-tion in the Commercial Health and Life Insurance, and Oil &Gas Industries. She currently sits on the Mayor’s advisoryCouncil for Person with Disabilities. Some recognitions andachievements that Terri holds are: Women Who Make a Dif-ference award, President’s Committee on Disabilities, NextGeneration Leadership, Louisiana Delegate, and MeritoriousService Award.

Denise OdomTo start on her professional level, Denise has been the Execu-tive Director of the Louisiana Lions Eye Bank for over four

years now. Denise is a Certified Ophthalmology Technician,Certified Eye Bank Technician, Certified Non-Profit Adminis-trator, and a Notary Public. Denise came into this organizationwith a passion for helping people regain their sight throughcorneal transplantation. Denise has been in the ophthalmol-ogy field for over 30 years working for many of the eye sur-geons in the Shreveport/Bossier area. On a community level,Denise volunteers her time with the Red River Lions Club asthe past president of the club and the current treasurer of theclub. Denise volunteers her time twice a month for the LionsClub to test and fit patients with free eye glasses that cannotafford to purchase them. This is through University HealthCenter and Lions Club International but she volunteers hertime to make sure these people do not go without sight.Denise is also a very active member of our LGBT communityand attends regular events and supports PACE and other LGBTorganizations in the community. She has received severalawards from the Lions Club such as the Service Award as wellas the Southern Hospitality Charity Award.

Nelda AltimusNelda Altimus began her career with the Louisiana WorkforceCommission in 1981. She spent the first 20 years in regula-tory services working with child labor laws and the registeredapprenticeship program. The last 13 years have been spentin employment and training programs such as the IncumbentWorker Training Program and the Workforce Investment Act.Nelda currently coordinates services in 9 parish Business andCareer Solutions Centers under the guidance of the Coordi-nating and Development Cooperation. When it comes to ac-complishments on the job, Nelda feels one of her greatestaccomplishments has been in helping a number of WorkforceInvestment Areas to better understand the federal perform-ance guidelines and lead them from mediocre or failing per-formance to exceeding the measures. Typically a nomineehas ties to a particular organization for which they volunteer.Nelda is a little different in this aspect. Nelda has not tiedherself to particular organizations, but readily volunteers her

services all of the time. She has been a behind the scenessupporter of The Boy Scouts of America for many years. She isa graduate of Louisiana State University in Shreveport with aB.A. in Psychology. In addition, she completed several gradu-ate level courses in counseling through Louisiana Tech Uni-versity. She is married to Bill Altimus, the proud mother ofMatthew, Joshua and Elizabeth and the very proud grand-mother of William, Catherine and Luka, with another on theway.

Vita RinerVita Riner came to the USA without speaking a word of Eng-lish and now she is a proud American Citizen. After working asa secretary in Nicky’s Restaurant, in 2004 she founded theMagazine “Vita Latina Magazine”. Her main idea was to have amagazine that would be the voice of the Hispanic communityin this area; to speak about what good things the Hispanicpopulation was doing in their everyday activities. She startedthe magazine with a bilingual concept with the purpose of in-forming in our language matters such as immigration, military,politic, social and culture events. In addition, she introducedproduct or service to companies who are interested in doingbusiness with our community. Vita Latina Magazine had beena successful project in the community, and now the magazineis all over North West Louisiana and East Texas (Monroe, Min-den, Benton, Bossier, Shreveport, Waskom, Marshall, Kilgore,Longview, Tyler). In December 2011, she ended her job as ed-itor to focus in growing the market and projects, so she begana new position as a Sales Manager for the Hispanic Market.Vita also started La Invasora 92.1 FM radio station in 2006.This all-Spanish radio station became the main speakingvoice of the Hispanic community. Vita’s hard work has playeda significant roll with La Invasora to be recognized by busi-ness leaders as well as government leaders. From 1980through 2001, Vita worked in Mexico as a computer broker.During this time she was one of the best national sales bro-kers recognized for Intel and HP, Acer, Lexmark and manyother technology brands.

Lynn HigginbothamLynn joined Argent in early 2010. As an APS Vice President,Lynn manages oil and gas assets for mineral owners focusingprimarily on properties located in Northwest Louisiana. A na-tive of Shreveport, Lynn has over 36 years’ experience work-ing in the oil and gas industry. Lynn worked for JPMorganChase and its predecessor banks for more than 24 years, mostrecently serving as Vice President and Senior Mineral Man-ager in the Shreveport office of JPMorgan Chase Bank. Lynn,along with her husband, founded a 501(c)(3) enterprisecalled Trinity Faith Enterprise Inc. to serve our area’s low in-come community. Their organization’s mission is, “To promotecommunity revitalization and self-reliance through education,housing assistance, and employment training.” Some associa-tions and organizations that Lynn is a part of are: National As-sociation of Royalty Owners, American Association ofProfessional Landmen, Red River Desk & Derrick Club, 2011Chairperson for United Way Women’s’ Leadership Council,and currently sits on the board for The Glen Retirement Sys-tem. Lynn continues to find a way to offer to the practicalhands-on assistance, funds for education, and resources toour community.

Continued From Page 17

ATHENA: The remaining nominees from Bossier Chamber

Spotlight

ATHENA AwardsLuncheon

Two women will be honored with the

ATHENA Award, from 16 nominees culled

by votes from the Bossier Chamber of

COmmerce and Greater Shreveport

Chamber of Commerce, during a special

luncheon:

Thursday, October 23

11 a.m.

Shreveport Convention Center

LA Hwy. 173, Shreveport, LA


NWLA Tourism

Halloween is big business in Shreveport-Bossier, wherehaunted houses, costume shops and Halloween-themed events proliferate in the weeks leading up toOct. 31. Until recently, however, the “haunted tour”business was more associated with southernLouisiana – especially New Orleans – than northwest

Louisiana. That’s changed in recent years, as several localhaunted tour services have begun hosting guided ghost tours.

The historic Logan Mansion, located at 725 Austin Place inShreveport, will once again host its popular haunted candle-light tours on Halloween night, Fri., Oct. 31. Guided tours ex-ploring the house will begin every 20 minutes, 6-9 p.m.Admission is $10 and tours last approximately one hour.Reservations are not necessary.

Built in 1897 by successful beer distributor Lafayette RobertLogan, the Victorian-style mansion has long been rumored tobe haunted by the spirit of a young girl who is said to have

fallen from an upstairs window. During haunted tours at theLogan Mansion, guests will see all 17 rooms of the mansion aswell as the 2,000-square-foot attic, hearing ghost stories alongthe way.

“This isn’t a staged tour, there aren’t people jumping out at youor anything like that,” said Logan Mansion owner Vicki Lebrun,who has owned the historic mansion since 2005. “Guests willget a tour of the entire house, and they’ll hear stories aboutthe haunting that we have here.”

Steve Smith, who operates the Shreve Town Ghost Walk indowntown Shreveport, is also excited to see Halloween on thehorizon. As temperatures cool off and public interest in theparanormal is piqued due to upcoming Halloween celebra-tions, Smith says that the number of people taking his walkingtour skyrockets.

“During the summer, when it’s really hot, sometimes I’ll onlyhave two or three folks show up for the tour,” Smith said. “Butthe first cool Saturday night in September or October, I’ll havetwo or three dozen folks show up. It’s incredible.”

Smith leads a walking tour, which lasts one hour and forty-fiveminutes and visits buildings in downtown Shreveport that arereported to be haunted. The cost to take the tour is $10 foradults and $5 for children ages 12 and under. Tours begin andend outside of the Caddo Courthouse, located at 501 TexasStreet in downtown Shreveport. Tours depart at 8 p.m. Smith’stour season ends on Saturday, Oct. 25, at which point he helpsthe Logan Mansion prepare for their Halloween night event.

For more information on the Shreve Town Ghost Walk, visitwww.shrevetownghostwalk.com or contact Steve Smith at(318) 200-0711.

Historic Haunts of Shreveport, a bus tour that carries groups tohaunted locations throughout Shreveport, is also flourishing.Their tours, which frequently sell out in advance, raise moneyto preserve local historic landmarks. A Sept. 11 post on thegroup’s Facebook page noted that the group has raised morethan $12,000 benefiting historic preservation efforts throughtheir tours in 2014. For more information on Historic Hauntstours, visit www.historichauntsofshreveport.com.

Photo Courtesy of SBCTBThe Logan Mansion Attic is a popularhaunted tour stop for NWLA.Scaring up business

STORY BYChris Jay

Haunted tours are highly popular throughout Louisiana


Applied Knowledge

The term “coach” has become a buzzword these days. There are life coaches, healthcoaches, sales coaches and others. People seem to want someone to “coach” them.However, I believe what people are really wanting is a cheerleader.

In the realm of “personal development” people want to be told, “You can do it! I’mrooting for you.” Cheerleaders tend to offer praise before goal is reached, in hopes of

inspiring the players, crowd, etc. to reach the goal.

Coaching isn’t quite the same.

When I played football in high school, I had a coach named Sam Ford. He was loud, mean andcondescending.

Coach Ford referred to the football field as “his” and you had to earn the right to be on “hisfootball field.” He would put us through torturous drills without one word of encouragement —or so we thought.

Not afraid of confrontation, Coach Ford would often grab a player by the facemask and get rightin their face when a mistake is made, or to emphasize a point.

In all fairness, Coach Ford was not all about “negative reinforcement.” In fact, he offered praisewith an equal amount of enthusiasm. “That’s what I am talking about!” he would often exclaimafter a good play.

However, the praise was definitely earned. It was not given in hopes that someone would stepup, do their job and reach their goal. When a player was praised, it was a special thing.

At the time, nearly everyone on the team respectfully feared the coach. In retrospect, we knowhe was pushing us to be better than we were _ and better than we thought we could be.

I have witnessed numerous practices of various sports teams over the years. I have heard loudcoaches and soft-spoken coaches. While their methodsmay be varied, one would never confuse them with acheerleader.

As we in business “coach” our teams, it is important toknow the difference between coaching and cheerleading.

When your team needs a coach, don’t show up as a cheer-leader.

Question:What lessons have you learned from a coach in your life thatyou have used when “coaching” others?

Cheerleadervs. Coach

David SpechtPresident,BIZ. & Specht Newspapers, Inc.

They’re very different but youneed both of them

While visiting vendorbooths at a recentconference, I askedeach the same state-ment. “Tell me whatyou do.” Most re-

sponses were similar to “We maxi-mize your investor earningpotential through scaling produc-tivity and minimizing ….”

One of my favorite authors is Ge-offrey James. He calls such talk“biz-blab.” Biz-blab uses big,vague words that ultimately con-fuse the listener.

At another conference, Scott Las-seigne of APS Payroll told me thathis company handles the time consuming and labor intensive details of payroll, taxes, and theassociated human resource reporting. I remember Scott and his company because he made iteasy to remember the services that he and his company provide.

How do you respond to “What do you do?” Do people get that “deer in the headlights” lookwhen you ramble on and on? Here are some ideas to help people remember you and yourcompany.

Use plain, simple words. People that try to impress others with their huge vocabulary cancome across as arrogant and unapproachable. Corporate-speak and strings of long, vaguewords seem reminiscent of snake-oil salesmen.Be concise. If it takes you 3 minutes to tell me what you do, it tells me you don’t know what

you do.Tell me the WIIFM (What’s in it for me?). For example,using a company that is expert at payroll functions cansave me money, manpower, time, and frustration.Be engaging. A smile and genuine enthusiasm about yourwork will interest people, enabling deeper conversationabout their needs and your services.Avoid industry terminology and acronyms. Those of us indifferent businesses won’t understand what you are say-ing.Write it. Re-write it. Shorten it. Practice it. Make it real,believable, interesting, and brief.

During a meeting several weeks ago, I asked Deon Cantrellof Transportation Provider Services, Inc. to tell me whather company did. She said “We are the connection be-tween products and the trucks that deliver those prod-ucts.” I know what she does; I can tell other people whatshe does. Tell me, what do you do?


Business Etiquette

Teri HaynesOwner of Business Interactions, LLCEmployee trainer and business eti-quette coachwww.BusinessInteractions.Net

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So, what doyou do?

Tell people about your business in amemorable way


Tell people about your business in amemorable way

Quit small business for new job?Dear Dave,I’ve had my own small business for a while. I love what I’m doing, but things aren’t going very wellright now. On top of that, I’m committed to $14,000 in advertising over the next 12 months. Re-cently, I got a job offer from a company that would pay me twice what I’m making now. I’m not surewhat to do.Rich

Dear Rich,It’s very important to keep your options open right now. If you completely close your business,you’ll be giving up your customers. I’m not sure I’d do that, especially when you know so littleabout the new job you’ve been offered.

I’d suggest trying this new job, but keep a few of your customers and see if you can do the work onweekends. This would help cover some, if not all, of your business debt and keep some moneyrolling in if the new job doesn’t work out.

If you find that you like this new job, then you’ve got a great income plus something you like doingon weekends that pays. And, if you keep your business open — even on a small scale — there’s al-ways a chance it will begin to grow and give you the opportunity to jump back into it full-timeagain!—Dave

Cash reserves are importantDear Dave,I’m finally starting to see some real money after owning my own business for a few years. I reallydon’t want to make mistakes now that I’m finally seeing some progress. How important is it for asmall business to have some kind of cash reserve?Ken

Dear Ken,You always need capital reserves for a small business.

You know how I stress the importance of having an emergency fund of three to six months of ex-penses in your personal finances? The same principle applies to business. When business slowsdown, or the economy does a nosedive, having a cash reserve will soften the blow and help youmake it through the lean times. In addition, if something goes wrong or breaks down it will turn apotential disaster into nothing but a minor inconvenience.

Think about this, too, Ken. It can also help grow your business debt-free. At some point you’re goingto hear about a good opportunity out there. Good opportunities have a way of becoming greatdeals when you’re paying with cash!—Dave

Dave’s start in the businessDear Dave,In the beginning, how did you go about establishing yourself asa financial counselor that people could trust? Did you initiallyoffer free counseling to help build a reputation?Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,I never worried about whether or not people could trust me. Ithink knowledge helped offset reputation (or lack of one, backthen), and I knew in my heart that I was an honest guy who hadthe ability to help people with their money.

I began doing financial counseling free of charge as a ministryat my church, but I have a degree in finance, and I had boughtand sold more than 1,000 foreclosures at that point. Thattaught me a lot about the business and the bankruptcy side ofthings. And experiencing them for myself when I went brokegave me a unique perspective into what happens in those situ-ations.

But it’s probably safe to say that people trust me more nowthan when I first started. There definitely wasn’t a line of peo-ple backed up around the block to see me in those days!—Dave

Dave Says — On Business

Dave RamseyDave Ramsey is America’s trustedvoice on business and money. He hasauthored five New York Times best-selling books, including EntreLeader-ship. The Dave Ramsey Show is heardby more than 8 million listeners eachweek on more than 500 radio stations.Follow Dave on the web at www.entre-leadership.com.


supporters helping them along the way through out a calendar year,” Grindley explains.

He acknowledges that while this isn't a new concept, no one is focused on connecting the dotsfor entrepreneurs and developing a real ecosystem.

“They need constant nurturing, mentoring, and connections as these startups sometimes hitmajor road blocks one minute and wins that get them over their hurdles all in the same week.”Moving from being a spot providing desk space and promoting collaboration among busi-nesses to being the nurturer for potential economic powerhouses is a change born out of itsown success stories.

“We saw that while we were a shared creative workspace with service providers working along-side each other, it was the 22 startups and small businesses that we graduated that were doinggame changing economic development in our area.”

He said these graduates turned the community’s $1 million investment in CoHab to over $20million in new jobs and projects that are still benefitting Shreveport-Bossier long after theirgraduation. It became clear then where their focus should lie.

“We adapted our mission just like we tell our startups to evolve and pivot towards what moves‘the needle,’” said Grindley. “This is a natural evolution for us as certain elements of the sharedworkspace will carry over, like service providers that can help startups. These startups arestarving for mentorship more so than capital a lot of times.”

And as CoHab’s mission evolves and startups are grown up and graduated, the community willreap the benefits.

“The realization of these startups’ potential means entrepreneurship and home grown compa-nies that grow employees and profits locally, creating great jobs with great benefits for its taxbase,” Grindley added.

Startup: CoHab will helpnew companies get goingContinued From Page 15

Cover Story

Photo Courtesy of CoHabCoHab in Shreveport is switching its focus from coworking space to being an incuba-tor for local startups.


DUDE, WE CAN’T MAKE YOU GOOD LOOKING.

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Startup: CoHab will helpnew companies get going

Photo Courtesy of CoHabCoHab in Shreveport is switching its focus from coworking space to being an incuba-tor for local startups.


Chris JayPublic Relations and Social MediaManager, Shreveport Bossier Conven-tion and Tourist Bureau. He is amonthly contributor to Biz. Magazine.

He may be reached via email [email protected].

Lunch Break

Shreveport’s Great Raft Brewing recentlyannounced that they’ll be celebratingtheir first anniversary with a huge partyon Friday, Oct. 17, complete with nine ormore beers being poured in the tastingroom (see the list of beers at

www.greatraftbrewing.com/event/great-raft-brewing-1-yr-anniversary-party), food and livemusic.

If this date sounds familiar – especially if you’re abeer lover – that could be because it falls on theeve of Shreveport’s BREW, an afternoon-long“premier beer tasting” that will be held, 2-6 p.m.,Saturday, Oct. 18 in downtown Shreveport’s Festi-val Plaza. If you’re a beer lover in the region,there’s never been a better weekend to plan abeer-centric trip to Shreveport-Bossier.

If you’re not a local (about 50% of the folks who

read this blog aren’t, so local folks, please bearwith me), and you’re going to make the trip, hereare a few quick tips for happier beer traveling:

1) Buy tickets in advance. BREW is known to sellout days or even weeks in advance. Only 1,600tickets are sold, and they go quickly. Tickets are$60 and may be purchased here. While this is thefirst time that the Great Raft Brewing anniversaryparty has been held, those tickets are prettycheap (they start at $15, for sale here) and localsreally, really love this place. It wouldn’t surpriseme at all to see this event sell out.

2) Check out the homebrews at BREW. My firsttrip to BREW, it took me a while to get acclimatedand realize that, among the huge array of liba-tions being poured (see this year’s list here),there were dozens of homebrewers showcasingtheir creations – beers that I’d probably never

have another chance to drink. Look out for groupslike the Malt Munching Mash Monsters, the EastTexas Brewers Guild and Tyler Area Pints andSuds (TAPS) alongside the other fantastic offer-ings.

3) Eat. If this is your first time visiting Great RaftBrewing, be sure to check out whatever mobilefood vendors are on site during the anniversaryparty. If the vendor happens to be called Ki Mex-ico, eat whatever they’re selling – just trust me,it’ll be fantastic. If The Missing Link shows up,with their gourmet hot dogs and rosemary truffleoil fries, you’re also in for a treat. Admission toBREW also includes food from some of Shreve-port-Bossier’s best restaurants.

4) Please don’t drink and drive. Here’s a partiallist of taxi and shuttle services available locally.Please celebrate responsibly.

What’s ontap in Oct.

Beer is the word for a weekend unwind this month in Shreveport

Chris Jay reviews local food and previews events everyweek at www.20x49.com.

Photo by Jim Noetzel.Locally brewed beer is poured at Great Raft Brewing in Shreveport.


Shreveport’s Great Raft Brewing recentlyannounced that they’ll be celebratingtheir first anniversary with a huge partyon Friday, Oct. 17, complete with nine ormore beers being poured in the tastingroom (see the list of beers at

www.greatraftbrewing.com/event/great-raft-brewing-1-yr-anniversary-party), food and livemusic.

If this date sounds familiar – especially if you’re abeer lover – that could be because it falls on theeve of Shreveport’s BREW, an afternoon-long“premier beer tasting” that will be held, 2-6 p.m.,Saturday, Oct. 18 in downtown Shreveport’s Festi-val Plaza. If you’re a beer lover in the region,there’s never been a better weekend to plan abeer-centric trip to Shreveport-Bossier.

If you’re not a local (about 50% of the folks who

read this blog aren’t, so local folks, please bearwith me), and you’re going to make the trip, hereare a few quick tips for happier beer traveling:

1) Buy tickets in advance. BREW is known to sellout days or even weeks in advance. Only 1,600tickets are sold, and they go quickly. Tickets are$60 and may be purchased here. While this is thefirst time that the Great Raft Brewing anniversaryparty has been held, those tickets are prettycheap (they start at $15, for sale here) and localsreally, really love this place. It wouldn’t surpriseme at all to see this event sell out.

2) Check out the homebrews at BREW. My firsttrip to BREW, it took me a while to get acclimatedand realize that, among the huge array of liba-tions being poured (see this year’s list here),there were dozens of homebrewers showcasingtheir creations – beers that I’d probably never

have another chance to drink. Look out for groupslike the Malt Munching Mash Monsters, the EastTexas Brewers Guild and Tyler Area Pints andSuds (TAPS) alongside the other fantastic offer-ings.

3) Eat. If this is your first time visiting Great RaftBrewing, be sure to check out whatever mobilefood vendors are on site during the anniversaryparty. If the vendor happens to be called Ki Mex-ico, eat whatever they’re selling – just trust me,it’ll be fantastic. If The Missing Link shows up,with their gourmet hot dogs and rosemary truffleoil fries, you’re also in for a treat. Admission toBREW also includes food from some of Shreve-port-Bossier’s best restaurants.

4) Please don’t drink and drive. Here’s a partiallist of taxi and shuttle services available locally.Please celebrate responsibly.

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BIZ. October 2014