FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information, contact Mike ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact Mike Odom
at 225-339-1167 or mike@brac.org
BRAC and City of Baton Rouge Sponsor Raleigh/Durham Trip
BATON ROUGE, La. (September 18, 2006) – The 2006 edition of the Canvas Workshop will be
visiting Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina from September 24 th -26 th . A delegation of business and
community leaders will spend three days and two nights in the Research Triangle to hear about the
region’s experiences in areas such as regional economic development, health care, education,
transportation, and downtown development. Trips such as the Canvas Workshop are taken by many
cities around the country as a tool to gain insights and spark new ideas for their communities.
The Canvas Workshop, sponsored by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber and the City of Baton Rouge, is
in its third year and follows successful trips to Austin in 2003 and Nashville in 2004. The
Raleigh/Durham visit, originally scheduled for September ’05, was postponed due to Hurricane Katrina.
Past trips have inspired community groups such as Austin6 and BRNEXT, the creation of an online
“Angel Network” of investors in early-stage companies, stimulated support for a downtown library, and
brought increased attention on the importance of public education.
Participants for the 2006 trip are:
Lydia Acosta, Library Director, East Baton Rouge Parish Library
Dr. Katrice Albert, Vice Provost for Equity & Diversity, LSU
Jerry Arbour, EBRP School Board Member – District 9
Renée Areng, Vice President, Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
Paul Arrigo, President & CEO, Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
Edward Ashworth, President, Louisiana Technology Park, L.L.C.
2005/2006 Canvas Workshop Chairman
Brian Baiamonte, Owner, Brian Baiamonte, LLC
J.R. Ball, Editor, Baton Rouge Business Report
Dr. Toya Barns-Teamer, Sr. VP for Academic & Student Affairs, LCTCS
Wilfred B. Barry, President, SJB Group, Inc.
William L. Benedetto, Regional Manager, Customer Service, Entergy Louisiana
Carolyn Bennett, Executive Director, Foundation for Historical Louisiana
Taylor Bennett, Co-Owner, Mesh Design LLC
Mark Bensabat, President, Baton Rouge Market, JPMorgan Chase
Scott Berg, Manager, Lee Michael’s Fine Jewelry
Madhu Beriwal, President & CEO, IEM
Deborah Kay Betts, Head of School, Episcopal High School
David Bondy, CEO, LUBA Workers' Comp
Councilman David Boneno, EBR Metro Council
Greg Bowser, Director of Governmental Affairs & Vice President, Louisiana Chemical
Association
J. Terrell Brown, Chairman, GMFS
Michael G. Bruce, Principal, ABMB Engineers, Inc.
Sister Judith Brun
Councilwoman Lorri A. Burgess, EBR Metro Council
Judy Burkett, President, Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors
Paul R. Burns, President, Burns & Co., Inc., Realtors

Lucius Butts, CEO, Transfinancial Companies
Dr. Barbara W. Carpenter, Commissioner, Baton Rouge Housing Authority
Norman J. Chenevert, Sole Member, Chenevert Architects, LLC
V. Thomas Clark, Jr., Attorney, Adams and Reese, LLP
Tom Cook, Cook, Moore and Associates
Arthur Cooper, Executive Director, LA Emerging Technologies Center
Charles Daigle, VP of Management & Professional Services, Our Lady of the Lake Regional
Medical Center
Nicole David, Events Director, Baton Rouge Area Chamber
Jamie Mabile Delatte, Economic Development Director, Greater Pointe Coupee Chamber of
Commerce
Michael DiResto, Press Secretary, Office of Congressman Richard Baker
Rachel DiResto, Vice President, Center for Planning Excellence
Mark Drennen, President & CEO, Greater New Orleans, Inc.
Shelly Dupré, Public Relations Director, Object 9
Jill Dyason, Board Member, East Baton Rouge Parish School System
Bradley Ebersole, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Baton Rouge Community College
Jason El Koubi, Policy Director, Baton Rouge Area Chamber
James L. Ellis, Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips
Jeff English, Owner, Creative English Communication Consultants (Forum 35)
David Fa-Kouri, President/Owner, David Fa-Kouri Group
Chris Flood, Co-Executive Director, City Year Louisiana
Jeff Fluhr, Assistant Executive Director, Downtown Development District
Teri Fontenot, President/CEO, Woman’s Hospital
James Fox-Smith, Executive Editor, Country Roads Magazine
Darryl Gissel, Oak Real Estate / Foundation for Historic Louisiana
Fran Gladden, Louisiana Economic Development
René Greer
Isaac M. Gregorie, Jr., Partner, Kean Miller
Jamie Griffin, VP of Corporate Membership, Forum 35 & Business Development Manager,
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers
Steven Grissom, Executive Vice President, Baton Rouge Area Chamber
Hampton Grunewald, Office of the Mayor-President, City of Baton Rouge
Gwen Hamilton, Director of Special Projects, Baton Rouge Area Foundation
Regina Hamilton, Academic Distinction Fund
Noel Hammatt, Vice President, East Baton Rouge Parish School System
Mark Hebert, Owner, Kurz & Hebert Commercial Real Estate, Inc.
Scott Hensgens, Partner, Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, LLP
Miles Higgins, President – The Relocation Center and Board Member – St. Francisville
Chamber
Mayor Melvin “Kip” Holden, City of Baton Rouge / Parish of East Baton Rouge
Rusty Jabour, Director of Governmental and Public Affairs, Cox Communications
John Jackson, Owner, GreenScreen TV
Stephen Jackson, Principal, Cockfield & Jackson Architects
William L. Jenkins, President, LSU System
Durwood Keller, Owner, Keller Consulting, LLC
Lanny Keller, Editorial Writer, The Advocate
Loren Kleinpeter, Managing Member, Kleinpeter & Kleinpeter, LLC
Sarah Kracke, Owner/Principal, Kracke Consulting
Charles Landry, Jones Walker
2003 Canvas Workshop Chairman
Doug Lee, Executive Director, Louisiana Technology Park
Stephen Loy, Director of Communications, Louisiana Technology Park
Danny McGlynn, McGlynn, Glisson & Koch
Lori Melancon, Director of Communications & Special Projects, Baton Rouge Area Chamber

Julio Melara, President, Baton Rouge Business Report
Robert Miller, CEO, Medical Management Options
Patrick Mockler, Sr. VP/ General Manager, Mockler Beverage Company/ Budweiser
Tim Mockler, President, Mockler Beverage Company/ Budweiser
Stephen Moret, President & CEO, Baton Rouge Area Chamber
Camm Morton, President & CEO, Commercial Properties Development Corp.
Larry Murray, President, The Capitol Group
Dyke Nelson, Chief Operating Officer, Chenevert Architects, LLC
John Noland, Noland Investments
Councilman Darrell Ourso, EBR Metro Council
Hays D. Owen, Sr.VP and Chief Administrative Officer, The Baton Rouge Water Company
Michael P. Palamone, CEO, Urban Systems Associates, Inc.
William G. Palmer, Superintendent, BREC
Gary Perilloux, Business Writer, The Advocate
Donnie Picou, Vice President/Market Manager, Clear Channel Radio
Charlotte Placide, Superintendent of Schools, East Baton Rouge Parish School System
Michael Polito, President & CEO, MAPP Construction, LLC
Raymond “Skipper” Post, Owner, Post Architects
Elizabeth Querbes, Senior Vice President, Morgan Stanley
Marvin “Buddy” Ragland, Jr., Partner, Coleman & Partners, Architects
Beryl O. Ramsey, Chief Executive Officer, Ochsner Medical Center – Baton Rouge
Dan Reed, Partner, Seale, Smith, Zuber & Barnette
Jennifer Eplett Reilly, Chair, City Year Louisiana
Davis Rhorer, Executive Director, Downtown Development District
Dr. Floyd “Flip” Roberts, MD, General Health System, Baton Rouge General Medical Center
Garth Roberts, General Manager / VP, Lamar Advertising
Nancy Roberts, Executive Director, Louisiana Resource Center for Educators
Randy Roussel, Partner, Phelps Dunbar, LLP
Michael Ruffner, Vice Chancellor, LSU Office of Communications & University Relations
Chris Sammons, Vice President, Shaw Group
Samuel Sanders, Executive Director, Mid City Redevelopment Alliance
Bill Scheffy, CFO, Eatel
John W. Schwab, Vice-President/Financial Advisor, Stanford Group & Stanford Trust
Paulette Senior, Publisher & Editor, Baton Rouge Journal
Heather Sewell Day, President-Elect, Forum 35
Councilman Mickey Skyring, EBR Metro Council
Mayor Charlene Smith, City of Zachary
Patricia Smith, EBRP School Board President, East Baton Rouge Parish School System
Curtis Soderberg, Vice President, CSRS, Inc.
Michael B. Songy, President, CSRS, Inc.
John Spain, Executive Vice President, Baton Rouge Area Foundation
Carl Stages, Executive Director, BREC Foundation
Steve Stein, Senior Vice President, Hancock Bank
Ralph Stephens, Director, Postlethwaite & Netterville
Deborah Sternberg, Senior Vice President, Starmount Life Insurance Co.
Robert Stockwell, Chief Academic Officer, East Baton Rouge Parish School System
Robert M. Stuart Jr., Capital One
Amanda Sutton, Baton Rouge Area Chamber
Martha Jane Tassin, EBR Metro Council
Elizabeth "Boo" Thomas, Executive Director, Center for Planning Excellence
Graham Thompson, City President, Whitney National Bank
David Thornton, CEO, Thorton, Musso, Bellemin, Inc.
Michael Trufant, CEO, G&M Marine
Thomas Turner, Vice Chairman, Turner Industries, LLC
Stan Vanderleeuw, Plant Manager, ExxonMobil

B. Troy Villa, Partner, Adams & Reese LLP
Liz Walker, Board Member, Mid City Merchants Association
Councilman Mike Walker, EBR Metro Council
Jamie Wax, Actor
Felix Weill, Partner, Weill, Dunn & Koch, LLC
Lynn Weill, VP for Development and Chief Development Officer, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer
Center
David Winkler, Managing Partner, Faulk & Winkler, LLC
Jennifer Winstead, President / CEO, Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation
David Wood, Executive Director-Business Development, Baton Rouge Area Chamber
Leonard Wyatt, City President, AmSouth Bank
About the Baton Rouge Area Chamber
The Baton Rouge Area Chamber leads economic development in the Baton Rouge metropolitan
area. Serving as the voice of the business community, BRAC’s membership includes more than
1,500 organizations whose employees represent over a third of the Capital region workforce.
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