KAREN LAGRANGE COX
The Broussard Chamber of Commerce Inaugural Annual Banquet is scheduled to be held on November 10, 2022. The banquet is not being held in Broussard despite there being two event centers located in Broussard, The Madison Banquet & Reception Centre and the Ballroom of Broussard.
According to the chamber’s membership directory, both event centers located in Broussard are members of the Broussard Chamber of Commerce. The Cade Community Center in St. Martinville, where the banquet is scheduled to be held, is not listed in the chamber’s membership directory on the chamber’s website as of the time of this posting.
BY Local News (BYLN) sent an email to Broussard Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Stacy Romero requesting a comment, however at the time of this posting no comment was received by BLYN.
BYLN also reached out to Jesse Regan, owner of The Madison, who sent this comment:
“The Broussard Chamber of Commerce’s mission statement is to “assist in the development and growth of businesses” in the city of Broussard and to support Broussard’s local business community. The Chamber’s decision to host its annual banquet in a venue in another town and another Parish is concerning and appalling. For the past 12 years, I have donated to The Broussard Chamber of Commerce, the use of The Madison Banquet & Reception Centre for luncheons and various events for over 45 times. The Madison has also hosted the annual Taste of Broussard event for ten years and has offered its services at a significantly discounted rate. The Chamber boycotting local businesses within the city for their biggest annual event is nothing short of a political move. It goes against the mission and vision of the Chamber itself. As a past chairman of the Chamber board of directors, I can unequivocally say that this is NOT the Chamber that I helped build for over ten years.”
