MINORITY BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS HONORED BY GREATER SHREVEPORT CHAMBER
Chamber Announces recipients of 2022 Minority Business Opportunity Awards
Shreveport, Louisiana— The Business Development Connection (BDC) of the Greater Shreveport Chamber honored outstanding business owners and professionals who are making a difference in the Shreveport-Bossier community at the Chamber’s Annual Minority Business Opportunity Awards (MBOA) presented by Willis-Knighton Health System. The event, which was attended by 300 attendees, was held on June 15, 2022 at Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino.
“It is an honor to recognize the recipients and honorees of the Minority Business Opportunity Awards” said Kendra Wheeler, BDC President and Retail Market Manager for Red River Bank. “Their vision and pursuit of excellence are an inspiration to us all. Our community is a better place because of their demonstrated commitment and contributions.”
Each year, the BDC recognizes outstanding achievement for minority businesses and professionals, including their commitment to grow personally and professionally, discover strategies for positive change, and develop new ideas for their businesses and employees. The recipients of each category were announced at the event on June 15th.
“This event was a celebration of all of our impressive honorees and their respective corporate and individual achievements,” said Francesca Benten Moreland, Chair of the Board for the Greater Shreveport Chamber and Partner and Co-owner at Williams Creative Group, Inc. “Our award recipients have demonstrated their ability to help build a stronger business culture by empowering growth, creating leadership opportunities, developing robust support and inspiring others in our community.”
The Honorable Judge Carl E. Stewart was awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the MBOA event. Since 1994, Judge Carl E. Stewart has served as a judge on the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and chief judge from 2012 to 2019. Throughout his 37 years of state and federal judicial service, he has exhibited an unwavering dedication to the legal profession within Shreveport-Bossier, his circuit and the nation, according to Wheeler.
For nearly 40 years, Judge Stewart has worked with students of all ages to achieve academic excellence. He was inducted into the Booker T. Washington High School Alumni Hall of Fame and his lifetime support of scouting has been recognized at the local, regional, and national levels.
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Chamber MBOA Recipients – page 2
David Raines Community Health Centers (DRCHC) was this year’s recipient of the MBOA Business of the Year. David Raines Community Health Centers, originally the Cooper Road Medical Clinic, is a federally qualified health center established in 1992 and nationally accredited by the Joint Commission. The health center is named in honor of David Herndon Raines, an African American who donated 22 acres of land in the Martin Luther King, Jr. area where the Shreveport health center is located. Since its inception, DRCHC has expanded to provide quality and affordable primary care services through six community-based health centers, six school-based health centers, and two pharmacies serving nearly 14,500 patients in Caddo, Bossier, Webster, and Claiborne parishes.
The Greater Shreveport Chamber announced the following additional award recipients in their respective categories:
Top Business Professional of the Year
Cheredith Dianna Rhone, The City of Shreveport-SPAR
Emerging Business of the Year
GEAUX4GREEN, LLC, Frank Gipson
Small Business Owner of the Year
Donesa Walker, M.Ed., The Brain Train, LLC dba LearningRx of Shreveport-Bossier
Non-Profit Professional of the Year
Lynn A. Stevens, Goodwill Industries of North Louisiana
Since its founding in 1910, the mission of the Greater Shreveport Chamber has been to promote economic prosperity, serve as a business advocate, and celebrate the achievements of the Shreveport- Bossier region. With over 1400 members, the GSCC is designated as a 5-Star Accredited Chamber by the US Chamber of Commerce, one of less than 2% of Chambers across the country honored with this distinction.