The Baton Rouge Area Chamber and East Baton Rouge City-Parish announced earlier this month that Richmond, Va., is their destination for the 2008 Canvas Workshop held in September. Richmond will be the site of the fifth workshop for Baton Rouge business and community leaders. They will spend three days there learning from the community that has recent success in regional economic development, transportation, higher education research and public school improvements. Nicole David, director of events for BRAC, said Richmond is completing a river front development for the James River, similar to Baton Rouge plans with their river front. “Their project will be complete by the time we go on the trip,” David said. “Their successes and challenges will help us with our project.” David said the dates for the trip and topics for the workshop will be decided in today’s meeting. The cost for the workshop is $2,100 per person, but it is not funded by BRAC. The participants or their organizations pay the fees. BRAC takes a trip each year to a successful city in the country, including this past year’s trip to Portland, Ore. In previous years, they traveled to Austin, Texas, Nashville, Tenn., and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. Past year trips have resulted in the five-year regional economic development program and increased University and Pennington Biomedical Research Center community support. One of Richmond’s recent successes involves creating a partnership to transfer technology from several colleges, including Virginia Commonwealth University, to industries. Forbes Magazine rated Richmond No. 1 among the best states for business. Richmond has a population of 1.2 million, which is about 50 percent larger than Baton Rouge. It has relatively low congestion on its busy beltway loop, and the bus system offers free downtown rides during lunch hours. Richmond has also experienced recent improvements in their public schools under strong leadership. David said they can only research Richmond’s success to an extent but the trip will allow Baton Rouge community and business leaders to meet with key people and learn specific factors to improve. “I am thrilled that we will be visiting a city as vibrant as Richmond,” said Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden in a BRAC news release. “This is an opportunity for the Baton Rouge area to gather keen insight.”
—-Contact Joy Lukachick at [email protected]