By Shannon Wright
The Greater Minden Chamber holds many events throughout the year that are designed to encourage local business owners to become leaders in the community.
The inaugural “Leading Legacies – A Women in Business Event” proved to be yet another powerful event in the Chamber’s arsenal.
Nearly 100 women, armed with Brick Street Coffee and pastries, filled the Minden Civic Center last Friday for an event designed specifically for women in business.
The Minden Civic Center was beautifully decorated, mostly pink and white, and each table was donned with a vase of fresh flowers and each guest received a bag filled with goodies and a cookie made especially for this event by Jodie Martin of Geaux Fresh.
As the ladies entered the room, they were welcomed by the smiling face of Katie Tippen and directed to the coffee and pastry bar.
Vendors were onsite – set up in a market street style – for the ladies to shop throughout the day.
A flower bar was provided by Minden Floral where each lady was able to design her own bouquet to take home as an early Mother’s Day gift.
After break-out sessions and table topic discussions, the inspiring south Louisiana native, Lauren Haydel, graced the stage in her signature lime-green dress and told her story of how she started Fleurty Girl.
As with so many successful entrepreneurs, she started out with nothing more than faith and all the money she had to her name.
Her witty and humorous story went on to encourage the ladies to follow their dreams, push past the inevitable roadblocks and to ignore the naysayers (one day they will work for you).
If you’re thinking, “who in the world is Lauren Haydel?”, you can find her on Instagram at Fleurty Girl.
After her speech, brunch was served buffet style by Cottle Catering – it was phenomenal food and in typical Cottle Catering fashion it was beautifully presented.
In a panelist/moderator format, discussions were led by two of Minden’s ladies in leadership – Lindsay McClaran and Mandi Hart. Topics included The Power of Saying No and Fearless Leadership.
The panelists included a powerhouse of successful women from northwest Louisiana including Liz Swain, Britney Spivey, Emily Watkins, Jennifer Lapierre, Tracey Barringer, Brittney Dunn and Dr Jayda Spillers.
Each panelist brought her own wisdom to the table along with some humor and real-life stories and together they were able to inspire and uplift the ladies in attendance.
This event was designed to strengthen the professional lives of women and to enhance their personal lives as well.
“Being the Visionary Presenting Sponsor of the inaugural Leading Legacies event was an incredible honor,” Catherine Hunt said. “The room was filled with powerful conversations, real connections and inspiring women.
“I’m proud to support events that uplift, empower and leave a lasting impact on our community,” she continued.
This event wouldn’t have been possible without the support of each one of these amazing sponsors:
Catherine C Hunt, Realtor – presenting sponsor
B1 Bank
Brick Street Coffee
Durrett Law & Title
Gibsland Bank & Trust
Barksdale Federal Credit Union
Bonvenu Bank
Ace Hardware
Bricktown Title Company
KTAL NBC 6
Shug’s Minden
The Villas at Spanish Court
Special Thanks to Brick Street Coffee, Cayenne Marketing, City of Minden, Cottle Catering, Geaux Fresh, Give Me 3, Carla Loe: Design Consultant for LaState Realty, Minden JSL, Minden Floral Shop, Minden Main Street, Out of the Blue and Simply Chic Boutique.
The Greater Minden Chamber is located at 110 Sibley Rd., Minden LA and you can reach them by phone at 318-377-4240 or visit their website at www.greatermindenchamber.com
