The Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce presents the J. Pat Beaird Industy of the Year Award and 318 Forum presents Top Businesses 2019
J. Pat Beaird’s industrious nature and community spirit left a legacy in Shreveport. That legacy continues with the annual J. Pat Beaird Memorial Industry of the Year award presented along with the Top Small Business awards at the annual luncheon Sept. 26. These exceptional businesses are being recognized by the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by the J. Pat Beaird Memorial Fund and Chase Bank and presented by 318 Forum Magazine.
The Industry of the Year award recipient is the accounting firm Heard, McElroy and Vestal. The eight Top Business award winners recognized by the Chamber and 318 Forum are Bookkeepers on the Geaux, Red River Brewing, Young Professionals Entertainment, LifeShare Blood Center, Richard Creative, SB Magazine, Shreveport Security Systems and Wieland Construction.
“Each of these honorees highlights the range of entrepreneurial talent present in our local community and the variety of ways businesses can grow in Shreveport- Bossier,” said Dr. Tim Magner, president of the Chamber.
The honorees will accept their awards at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 26 at Sam’s Town Hotel and Casino at the J. Pat Beaird Luncheon. The special guest speakers for the luncheon will be Marcus and Morgan Luttrell. The twin brothers are former Navy SEALs. Marcus’ story was the inspiration behind the 2013 movie “Lone Survivor.”
The Chamber honors an outstanding corporate entity and its impact on northwest Louisiana with the J. Pat Beaird Memorial Industry of the Year award. The criteria for the award are the same as those Beaird sought to promote through his career: real dollar expansion, community involvement and the number of new jobs created.
Beaird traveled extensively promoting Shreveport throughout the United States and Latin America, according to the Chamber’s history. He was instrumental bringing Western Electric to Shreveport, a longtime major employer for the area that later became home to AT&T.
Beaird served on the Chamber's board of directors in the 1940s. He worked with the Chamber's Interstate Trade Barriers Committee to create a reciprocal trade agreement with Texas and Arkansas, relieving the barriers that existed at that time. In 1991, the Chamber elected to honor Beaird by renaming the annual Industry of the Year award in his memory.
“Mr. J. Pat Beaird Sr. devoted his life to community service, job creation and business expansion in our community,” Magner said. “The driving force behind Metal Fab Corporation, which became AMF Beaird, and Beaird Oil Corporation, he was referred to by many in northwest Louisiana as the 'Captain of Industry.’ The award named in his honor recognizes his continuing legacy and that the benefits of his dedication to our community are still being felt today.”
Contributions by Scott "Scooter" Anderson and Betsy St. Amant Haddox
