Beaumont is finding its champions

The goal is to encourage business development, workforce preparation, keeping people here and attracting more, said Bill Allen, president of the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce, which developed the five-week program that concluded earlier this month.

“You can’t stop people from having a negative impression, but if it’s not factual, maybe we can change some minds,” he said at a gathering of the final class at the Tevis Room of the Lakeside Center in Downtown Beaumont.

“What we’ve heard are the complaints — lack of (entertainment) options, crime, flooding, schools,” he said. “We can’t fight all the negatives, but we can balance it with facts. We’re getting more interest from companies in the last four months than we have in the last two or three years.”

That could be pent-up demand from the easing of the pandemic, the settling of the presidential election or improving business conditions, he said.

But the constants remain, which include transportation access, lots of land and workforce development at the secondary and college levels, Allen said.

One class member, Lee Potter of American Air Systems, said he wanted to take part because he needs employees at his company, which always is busiest in summer months.

“A lot of things are political. This is not,” he said. “We have a heck of an opportunity here. We have a small-town aspect with a large-city feel.”

Dee Lane, of Vector Security, said in Beaumont people, can develop lasting friendships and enjoy the good aspects of the city and its environs.

She said if she hears a negative comment, she asks why the person who said it feels that way. Perhaps they are simply repeating what someone else said.

“Ask what the problem is and how to fix it,” she said.

Terri Potter, who works in the Market Basket corporate office, said more people who might take this class might discover more positives they’d like to compare with negative viewpoints.

In the coursework that began June 7, members learned about the city’s finances, its public services and public safety, workforce initiatives and city planning and development.

Other sessions focused on recreation, culture and entertainment.

The local news cycle reports tragic events such as homicides and ongoing labor-management struggles, but those are historically a part of Beaumont’s past, present and likely future.

How does one square that with the longer-range vision that Beaumont Champions seek to emphasize.

“That’s social media,” Allen said. “(The class) can post good things about the city. We’d like to get more good information out. We’re trying to do a better job communicating.”

Allen admits that some might snicker at the effort. The road behind is littered with good-faith efforts including the “Triplex” rebranding and the “kick some attitude” media campaign from the mid-1980s in the wake of the oil industry near-collapse that saw the job base crumble. An “economic summit” followed designed to count local blessings.

He hopes to launch another class in the first quarter of 2022.

Lee Potter said his business is going full-bore and he needs reliable workers.

“We’re blessed,” he said. He and his wife went to the July 4 fireworks at the Event Centre and had a blast.

“We went through this program for a reason,” he said. “It’s up to us to invite people and involve them.”

Dan Wallach is a

freelance writer.