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Before ending their regular session on June 23, members of the Louisiana Legislators issued an official voice of support to the Houma-based, online and interactive Gulf Coast Marketplace.
State Rep. Damon Baldone (D-Houma) presented legislation as HR-172. The resolution commended the Gulf Coast Marketplace, created and backed by Options for Independence, as being an innovative approach to community recovery and economic development following the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill of April 20, 2010.
“I was happy to lead this legislation that validates a cause vital to coastal recovery, enabling home grown vendors to enter into new marketplaces and showcasing the wonderful people, products and places we have to offer,” Baldone said.
Legislators recognized Options for Independence and the Gulf Coast Marketplace as being creative avenues to get displaced workers back on the job even if the entrepreneurial endeavors they undertake are not the same as their previous professions.
“We are thrilled that Rep. Baldone got the legislature behind us,” Options for Independence CEO Barry Chauvin said. “The mission of the Gulf Coast Marketplace is to contribute to community recovery by providing opportunities for economic growth and financial independence, especially for those impacted by disaster.”
Chauvin said this endorsement came just in time for the Gulf Coast Marketplace official July online launch.
Options for Independence was established in 1992 as a non-profit social service agency, focused on getting disabled citizens into the workforce. Since then, it has evolved to include case management and employment services as well as disaster outreach and crisis management services.
Following Hurricane Katrina, and subsequent Louisiana disasters, Options for Independence has been able to assist more than 240,000 Gulf coast residents.
Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board Executive Director Ewell Smith, left, and Gulf Coast Marketplace Director Jim Pittman exchange contact information following the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce membership luncheon where Smith introduced promotion efforts by his agency. MIKE NIXON
