The Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce urges Terrebonne Parish voters to approve a half-cent sales tax on the December 8 ballot dedicated to the Morganza-to-the-Gulf Hurricane Protection Project. The Chamber's 30-member Board of Directors voted unanimously to support the tax proposal at the Board's November 13 meeting.

The arrival of Spring also brings to mind that another season is here. It's officially "festival season" in South Louisiana! That is, until the dog days of summer swarm in. You could also say that the fall is festival season; however, festivals really "spring" into action this time of year. Nevertheless, it's the perfect time of year to further introduce our own festival, the Best of the Bayou.

The Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce and the Quality Hotel will host the 2012 Administrative Professional’s Day on Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at the Quality Hotel, 210 South Hollywood Road, Houma from noon until 1 p.m.

Chamber volunteers and event participants will notice changes this year, some significant and some minor.

TEDA is introducing an exciting new program this September entitled Business Owners Solutions Symposium, BOSS. The program will be limited to 15 business owners, who have been in business for 15 years or less.

The Terrebonne Parish Economic Development Authority (TEDA) and the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government will host a free meeting relating to emergency preparedness for businesses at 6:30 on July 25 at the Houma Civic Center.

ADAC's Jambalaya Cook off will be held June 23^rd, 2012 in downtown Houma's courthouse square.

Small businesses around the country can take advantage of free computer security workshops to help strengthen their information security, determine their readiness against security breaches and safeguard their business information from computer attacks.

Grab your clubs and tee off April 30, 2012 at Ellendale Country Club to help St. Matthew's Episcopal rebuild its church and school – and you could win the $10,000 hole-in-one contest.

LED is offering funds through the State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) Program that is designed to help small businesses export and raise the value of those already exporting. The program is a three-year pilot trade and export initiative authorized by the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010.

The Terrebonne Foundation for Academic Excellence in Public Education (TFAE) is preparing for The Courier Presents the TGMC 5K Run for Excellence and Cajun Food Festival to be held on Saturday, May 12, 2012, in downtown Houma. An exciting evening packed with fun, delicious food, cold beverages, and the band Souled Out will entertain live on stage from 6:30 pm until 10:30 pm.

Tickets are available for a barbecue lunch to benefit the rebuilding of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church and School building.

Bow 2 Stern Services / Engine Starting Products and its owners Harry "Buster” Naquin and Shane Thibodeaux are pleased to announce the acquisition of the assets of L&H Electric Co. Inc. from Shamrock Management L.L.C. of Houma.

Roger Bourgeois, Founder and President of Bourgeois & Associates, Inc. was presented with FSSA's Leadership Award during the President's Banquet at its 2012 Annual Forum in Rancho Mirage, California.

Ellendale Country Club in Houma will host the 1^st Annual Houma Hope For Kids Golf Tournament benefitting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The charity event is organized by Yancey Law Firm Bayou Charities, Inc., also in Houma, and will be held Monday, March 26, 2012, with a tee time of 7:30 am, according to Patrick Yancey.

The South Louisiana Economic Council is offering training for entrepreneurs and business startups. The training will be conducted in ten, two-hour sessions beginning Tuesday, March 13. Each segment will cover an essential component of business startup and management and will include expert speakers in the fields of marketing, finance, accounting, business plan development and other essential aspects of business.

Terrebonne Economic Development Authority (TEDA) is hosting a Contractor's College, the innovative training program that prepares contractors for the State Contractor's Licensing Exam, the weekend of March 10 and 11 at the South Central Planning and Development Commission.

The Terrebonne Economic Development Foundation (TEDFo), which works in conjunction with Terrebonne Parish Economic Development Authority (TEDA), announces its Terrebonne Mini Grant Program that is available to assist small businesses.

The Louisiana Economic Development Department and South Central Planning and Development Commission are again teaming up to sponsor a Business Incentive Seminar and Clinic on Tuesday, March 2nd from 9:00 am until 3 pm at the office of SCPDC, 5058 W. Main, Houma, LA.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission will hold a seminar for employers on electronic filing of quarterly wage and tax reports on Tuesday, January 10, 2012, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Terrebonne Parish Library Main Branch, 151 Library Drive, Houma.

 In memory of Robyn Adele Ford, a Nicholls State University education student who passed away this week after a battle with cancer, the Nicholls College of Education has joined Ford's family in establishing a memorial scholarship for high-achieving students who have also contended with the disease.

Nicholls State University will be represented by 80 students in the 2011 edition of "Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.”

Musicians with the Nicholls State University Department of Music's strings program will perform two free concerts this month, both open to the public.

Paying tribute to all veterans past and present, Nicholls State University will host a Veterans Day ceremony in the campus quadrangle at 11:45 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11. The public is encouraged to attend.

Terrebonne General Medical Center (TGMC) has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in nuclear medicine as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology (ACR). Nuclear medicine is a branch of medical imaging that uses small amounts of radioactive material, ingested by the patient, to diagnose and treat a variety of disease, including many types of cancers, heart disease, and certain other abnormalities within the body.

The Bayou Country Children's Museum (BCCM) will hold their 3rd Annual "Night at the BOO-seum” Halloween fundraiser on Friday, October 21^st from 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm in the Town Center of Acadia Plantation, near the future site of the BCCM, off of Percy Brown Road in Thibodaux.

The Louisiana Center for Women and Government, headquartered at Nicholls State University, invites the public to "Dancing with the Stars of the South” Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans. Headlining the celebrity guest list is Mario Lopez, "Dancing with the Stars” finalist and host of "America's Best Dance Crew.”