AVONDALE, La – Fostering a positive corporate culture can have a major impact on employee engagement and retention. Developing a strategy to motivate and inspire your team will increase productivity and boost morale, and in most cases, will help you attract quality talent as well. This does not necessarily mean you have to go out and buy a Ping Pong table for your office, but business leaders should be thinking about opportunities to create a workplace environment where people want to be. There are many unique ways to enhance company culture to attract, retain, and engage with high performing individuals. Placing an emphasis on culture can go a long way to boost your bottom line.
As part of the Prosper Jefferson seminar series, JEDCO and the Jefferson Chamber teamed up on a seminar on building a positive company culture featuring three experts from the regional business community.
Topics include: How to build a positive company culture, focusing on a healthy workplace environment, how to build employee engagement and productivity and case studies from local business owners.
The event is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 29, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the JEDCO Conference Center, 701A Churchill Parkway, Avondale, LA. The event is free and open to the public. Register at www.jedco.org/events.
Meet the experts
Franck LaBiche, Laitram, LLC
Human Resources Director/Corporate Counsel
Laitram is a global manufacturer with four operating divisions that produce a diverse set of products and services, including seafood processing equipment, conveying solution technology and systems, fabricated metal stairs, and precision machining services. With over 2,000 employees worldwide, Laitram operates manufacturing and assembly facilities in nine countries and employs people in over 30 different countries outside of the United States.
As a lifelong resident of New Orleans, Franck joined Laitram's legal department in 1995 in a corporate counsel role. Supporting the company's commercial, production, and administration areas, Franck worked in various areas including labor and employment, benefits, commercial transactions, immigration and others. Since joining the company, Franck worked alongside Laitram's CFO to manage the company's insurance and risk management program. In 2009, Franck was volunteered to manage the company's Human Resources group where he continues to work to this day.
Paul Phillips, Dale Carnegie
Franchise Owner
Paul Phillips is the Franchise Owner of Dale Carnegie Training for New Orleans and SE Louisiana, Jackson and S. Mississippi, and Shreveport and N. Louisiana. He is also the President of Paul Phillips & Associates, Inc. Paul is the instructor for a number of Dale Carnegie courses, including the Dale Carnegie Sales Advantage, Dale Carnegie Leadership Training for Managers, Dale Carnegie High Impact Presentations, and Dale Carnegie World Class Customer Service. He is a five-time winner of the President's Cup Award, which is the highest award given by Dale Carnegie Training. He is a past president of the Dale Carnegie International Franchise Association, Past President of Metairie Rotary Club and a member of the St. Timothy Methodist Church.
Founded in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training has evolved from one man's belief in the power of self-improvement to a performance-based training company with offices worldwide. The company focuses on giving people in business the opportunity to sharpen their skills and improve their performance in order to build positive, steady, and profitable results. Dale Carnegie Training emphasizes practical principles and processes by designing programs that offer people the knowledge, skills and practices they need to add value to the business. Connecting proven solutions with real-world challenges, Dale Carnegie Training is recognized internationally as the leader in bringing out the best in people.
Beth Walker, Ochsner
Chief Operating Officer
Beth serves as Chief Operating Officer for Ochsner Medical Center, and maintains administrative responsibility for the ambulatory clinics and physician group practice for Ochsner Health System's flagship site on Jefferson Highway.
Originally from Ohio, Beth joined Ochsner in 2002 as an Administrative Fellow after completing her MHA from The Ohio State University. She has since held various leadership roles in physician practice management throughout the system, prior to taking on the COO role in 2013. She has been recognized nationally as a young executive, both by Modern Healthcare ("Up and Comer" – 2013) as well as Becker's Hospital Review ("Rising Star: 25 Healthcare Leaders Under 40" – 2015). She also completed Harvard Business School's Executive Education program in Managing Healthcare Delivery, and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).
Beth has served as Ochsner's representative on the Board of the Jefferson Chamber for the past two years, as well as working with the Young Professionals and Healthcare committees. She is very active in the Junior League of New Orleans having held many leadership positions there as well, over the past 11 years. In her spare time, Beth enjoys traveling, running and practicing yoga.