One Acadiana holds inaugural banquet

One Acadiana recently brought together nearly 700 business and community leaders from across the nine-parish region at its inaugural Regional Celebration. The evening highlighted One Acadiana's transformation into a regional economic development organization and celebrated the organization's recent success and future plans.

One Acadiana's leaders took the stage to express their excitement about the organization's progress. The event's speakers included David Callecod, President & CEO of Lafayette General Health, who serves as Chairman of One Acadiana's CEO Advisory Council; Joseph Zanco, CFO of Home Bank and the current Chairman of One Acadiana; Julie Simon-Dronet, Executive Director of Operations at Cox, Acadiana and Immediate Past Chairman of the organization; and Jason El Koubi, President &CEO of One Acadiana.

"Tonight, we celebrate the progress we've made in turning a regional aspiration into reality," stated Jason El Koubi, as he welcomed members of the regional business community. "We celebrate the foundation that One Acadiana is building on and the opportunities that lie ahead."

El Koubi thanked individuals instrumental in launching One Acadiana, noting those present "will be a big part of writing the next chapter in the history of our regional economy." Those in attendance included One Acadiana investors, members, representatives from local chambers and economic development partners, elected officials, and members of the Acadiana legislative delegation.

David Callecod spoke on behalf of One Acadiana's CEO Advisory Council, "We are heavily invested in this regional initiative. We know we need to harness our current momentum and translate it into progress that will make Acadiana attractive to a new generation of global talent and emerging growth sectors." Callecod also expressed the Council's excitement about the direction of the organization, stating that the group is dedicated to guiding and supporting the efforts of One Acadiana at the highest level.

Callecod introduced Immediate Past Chairman Julie Simon-Dronet and thanked her for her steadfast leadership and contributions to the success of The Campaign for One Acadiana. Dronet shared a few words of enthusiasm about the organization's progress and unveiled its new brand. "One year ago, we gathered in this same space in the recognition that we could become One Acadiana," said Dronet of last year's event. "Little did we know that the theme of that evening would resonate so much that 'One Acadiana' would become the name of our organization." She stressed the organization's aspiration to take a regional approach that matches Acadiana's growing economy and opportunities.

Jason El Koubi highlighted One Acadiana's three core strategies: cultivating a portfolio of regional assets by developing and implementing strategies to enhance regional economic competitiveness, infrastructure, and policy; marketing and promoting the region to secure new business investment and professional talent; and revitalizing the regional core by leveraging the UL Master Plan, Downtown Master Plan, and Lafayette Comprehensive Plan for strategic direction.

El Koubi shared One Acadiana's year-one priorities, developed by the CEO Advisory Council and Board of Directors. "Under their leadership, we will launch a number of exciting programs, which will enable our region to reach its full potential." Key priorities include cultivating a regional portfolio of sites and buildings for future development; launching a business recruitment, expansion, and retention program (kick-started with the recent hiring of Jim Bourgeois, Executive Director of Business Development); accelerating the development of I-49 South; developing a regional workforce development strategy; launching a new talent recruitment and attraction program; and developing a strategic plan for improving the major gateways into the core of the region.

One Acadiana's 2015 Chairman Joseph Zanco stressed the need to build "connective tissue" among parishes and remain informed on local chamber and economic development efforts by deepening relationships with local leaders. He announced a new event called "Building the Region Conference," which will take place this September and allow investors, members, and partners to learn more about the challenges and opportunities within the Acadiana region. Zanco left the audience with a challenge and a promise, "To whom much is given much is expected. You and I should. You and I can. And through One Acadiana, you and I will."