As the year comes to a close, the St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce celebrates an impressive milestone:
breaking the 200 member mark. In fact, the Chamber of Commerce has seen steady growth over
the past two years. In 2010, there were 120 members, 170 in 2011 and now 204 in 2012.

Additionally, the Chamber helped coordinate 40 ribbon cuttings in 2012, which is more than the past
two years combined. There were 14 ribbon cuttings last year, and 15 in 2010.

“Breaking the 200 member mark is a major milestone for the St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce. We
now directly reach 1 in 5 businesses in St. Bernard Parish, and our involvement and outreach gives us a
much larger network than that,” explained Chamber Director Stephen Reuther. “Given the size of St.
Bernard Parish relative to our neighboring parishes, I’m proud of the impact the St. Bernard Chamber
has both within our community, as well as within our region.”

Keeping in line with impacting the community in a positive way, the Chamber is kicking off their 2012 Shop St. Bernard campaign, which will work to encourage residents to do their holiday shopping in-parish.
Shopping locally is especially important this year, as the parish is grappling with a budget shortfall, due to sales tax revenue for 2012 being significantly lower than initially projected in 2011. Reuther says that
the ripple effects of supporting local businesses can translate into new jobs, attract new businesses, and
even raise property values.

“Shopping local is the easiest way to positively impact your business community,” Reuther said. “Everybody needs to purchase groceries, clothes, and gifts. If you are going to spend the money anyway, why not
support a local business and contribute to the growth of the local economy.”

December 5, the Chamber is also hosting their Annual Gala at the Sigur Civic Center in Chalmette,
which will feature a raffle for $10,000. Tickets can be purchased from the Chamber of Commerce website or from a chamber board member.