By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

GRAMERCY – Small business owners and budding entrepreneurs in the River Parishes will get access next month to workshops and seminars with top business trainers and consultants when the Louisiana Business and Technology Center brings its Mobile Classroom back to the region next month.

The traveling classroom, fashioned out of an 18-wheeler trailer, is a joint project of the LBTC and the E.J. Ourso College of Business at LSU. The vehicle will be in St. James Parish July 10 and 11 in the Winn Dixie parking lot, located at 1803 Louisiana Highway 3125 in Gramercy.

“The classroom made a stop in LaPlace back in March, and we are also getting it again in St. Charles Parish in September,” said Chassity McComack, executive director of the River Region Chamber of Commerce, which is helping bring the classroom to the area. “There are a lot of small business owners in the region seeking help, and we wanted to get to those who may not be able to make it to the middle of the tri-parish area.”

McComack said the classroom’s appearance in St. James is also part of a push by Parish President Timmy Roussel to put more emphasis on small business development in his parish.

“Timmy Roussel has been really receptive to small businesses, and collaboration with him has been really great,” McComack said.

The self-contained mobile classroom has state-of-the-art audio/ visual capabilities, including a large plasma screen monitor and broadband wireless Internet connectivity and seats up to 24 people for seminars and workshops on a variety of topics. The program, which was developed in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, tours the state and is scheduled to visit 37 rural parishes providing leadership development, networking, marketing and other business growth classes.

“Programs like this that help people get back on their feet and going again were really needed just after Katrina because there were so many people who didn’t know where to turn,” McComack said. “There was always quite a bit of interest in past years, but attendance at some of the seminars has dropped recently. We take that as a good sign of recovery. There are still businesses in the area that have their struggles, but it isn’t as bad as it was right after Katrina. People are learning how to get the help they need.”

Representatives from LSU’s Louisiana Business & Technology Center and its partner organizations will be presenting the free seminars. Anyone interested is invited to attend one or both days or even consider going to one or two of the seminars of interest. A complete schedule follows below. To register for the seminars contact the River Region Chamber of Commerce at 985-359-9777.

Tuesday, July 10:

• 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. – Starting and Financing Your Business

• 10:45 a.m. to 12 p.m. – Marketing 101

• 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. – Working with Your Bank to Get a Loan

• 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. – State Business Incentives

Wednesday, July 11:

• 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. – Customer Service

• 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. – How to Effectively use Facebook for your Small Business

• 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. – Growing your Business Online