Photos and Story
by Erik Sanzenbach

It was all business Thursday afternoon at the Northshore Harbor Center as over 100 businesses and organizations set up shop at the annual Business and Community Showcase.

The event is put on every year by the East St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce (which recently won Best Chamber in the Nation) is an award-winning gathering of the parish’s businesses and organizations as a one-stop affair not only for networking, but also to show off the great businesses in St. Tammany Parish.

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And there were a lot of businesses gathered in 150 booths. Everything from banking to wine makers, bakers to waffles and everything in between were represented in the four-hour showcase. Not only businesses were spotlighted, but also community organizations like STARC, the Slidell Art League, and the Slidell Department of Cultural and Public Affairs had booths. The local law enforcement agencies and first responders also had booths to explain their function in the community, and also to recruit.

But it wasn’t just serious talk about profits and markets. There was a lot of fun and food offered to over 2,000 people that showed up for the showcase. Companies like Blue Bell Ice Cream, Waffle House and Benedict’s Plantation handed out free samples of their delicious products to all.

Children and adults could get their photographs taken as an astronaut at the NASA Stennis Space Center Booth. If animals were more your style, you could feed a colorful blue-and gold macaw named Duchess at the Tall Tails booth that provides pet sitting services. For the artist in all of us, we could watch potter Kelly Landrum-Hammall create gorgeous pots on her potter’s wheel as she touted potter lessons at her business, Pottery Studio KLH in Slidell.

Lots of local politicians also showed up to shake hands and listen to their constituents talk about business. Other community leaders like Fire District One Chief Larry Hess wanted to get people’s opinions about his department’s services to the area. He reminded everyone that there is a survey on FD1’s Web site where people can voice their opinions, www.stfpd1.org.

The atmosphere inside the Harbor Center was one of neighbors coming out to enjoy each other’s company and to show off how well the community of St. Tammany Parish is doing economically.