IMBECA to host Small Business Week May 11–14; local entrepreneurs honored

Lee Melancon, representing the Microbusiness Enterprise Corporation of Ascension, said the parish will hold a local Small Business Week from May 11 through May 14 featuring workshops, a resource fair and an initiative to connect small vendors with larger regional employers.

"We are dream weavers. We are not dream killers," Melancon said, describing IMBECA’s role as a free, nonprofit small-business center that provides technical assistance, entrepreneurial training and access to capital for Ascension residents and nearby parishes.

Melancon said the week’s programming begins May 11 in Donaldsonville at the Lehi Center at 5 p.m., continues with a Sorrento session focused on state certification and culminates May 14 at the PACE Center in Gonzales with a breakfast, award presentations, two AI workshops, a cybersecurity session and a downstairs resource fair featuring lenders, the SBA, SBDCs and local chambers.

The event also includes a "Big Business–Small Business Connect" series aimed at giving owners direct access to procurement officers from large local employers. Melancon named several firms she said would take part in conversations about vendor requirements, including CF Industries and Air Products, and said the lunch panel will include state representatives, industry and health-system partners; she noted the lunch requires RSVP through the Ascension Chamber.

Three state certifications were described as part of the week’s guidance: a small-and-emerging-business certification, a program the speaker referred to as the "Hudson initiative" for minority- and women-owned firms, and a veterans certification. Melancon said those certifications can yield bonus points on state procurement bids.

The program also recognized local entrepreneurs. Melancon announced Jay as IMBECA’s small-business owner of the year, Grant and Cole as young entrepreneurs of the year, and Lara Kling (Blessing Way Doula) as woman business owner of the year. "We normally nominate our small-business owner of the year for the state awards," Melancon said, adding that Jay was selected for a state-level small-and-emerging-business award and that the Louisiana Department of Economic Development plans to promote his business.

Jay, one of the awardees, credited IMBECA with helping him write a business plan and expand his company, March Construction, from residential renovation into commercial, federal and industrial contracting. "First, it's free. So everyone's definitely should take advantage of that as well," Jay said when describing the program.

Cole, representing a vending and coffee business he described as Bingo Bytes, outlined a cashless AI "smart cooler" vending model that uses cameras and a card reader to detect items and charge customers, allowing more product options and fewer mechanical jams.

Melancon said IMBECA serves roughly 100–110 individuals annually across the region, including participants from Saint James, Assumption and New Orleans, and that most services are free; the only fee noted was for the lunch. She encouraged viewers to contact the Ascension Chamber to RSVP for the lunch and to use the on-screen information to learn how to participate in IMBECA programs.

The segment closed with thanks to the guests and a reminder of the week’s schedule and free resources.