United Way of Northwest Louisiana announced that Judy Madison of Red River Bank will serve as 2016 United Way president, replacing 2015 President William Bradford of the city of Shreveport. President-elect for 2017 is Dr. Jerome Cox. Vice presidents are John Schmidt of Heard McElroy & Vestal (Operational Excellence), Darlene Rossum of IberiaBank (Community Impact) and Merrill Wautlet of Cross Keys Bank (Resource Development). United Way also appointed 22 community leaders from banking, government, business, medicine and education to serve on its 2016 board. United Way has a long history in the area, serving a 10-parish area through individual and corporate donations that totaled $2,301,307 in 2015 while providing services for 75,295. Volunteers contributed more than 2,300 hours to support 61 local United Way projects last year.

Homewood Suites by Hilton Shreveport-Bossier City received the 2015 Excellence in Operational Leadership, Social Media and Director of Sales of the Year Awards, recognizing Ray Ferland, Excellence in Operational Leadership Award; Tiffany White, Social Media Award; and Sandra Haynes, Director of Sales of the Year Award. Recipients were honored for their outstanding achievements during the past year at the brand’s leadership conference in Dallas. The property, which is owned and managed by Dimension Development Company, received the award distinctions from among the brand’s 385 hotels throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. “We are extremely honored to be recognized as a top hotel award winner,” said Ray Ferland, general manager. The hotel, located at 2015 Old Minden Road, features 114 suites. More about Homewood Suites by Hilton can be found at www.homewoodsuites.com and www.news.homewoodsuites.com.

Co-owners Julia Foley and Bonné Summers of Apex Events & Communications, a Shreveport-based full-service integrated event management company, were speakers at the USDA National Communications Training Conference in New Orleans in April. The event was attended by more than 70 USDA public affairs specialists from across the United States who represent and promote the economic development of rural America. Their topics were how to better strategize communication to support the mission of the

USDA as it pertains to rural development and to offer advice on how an event can be part of this marketing strategy. With the significant growth in companies worldwide incorporating events into their strategic marketing plans, the timing was on target.

KSLA and the Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau are encouraging locals to see what the area has to offer through the “Be a Fan of Shreveport-Bossier” campaign during National Travel and Tourism Week May 1-7. The cities’ many diverse museums, festivals, galleries and other attractions are the focus of the campaign, which is making available 20 discounts and free tickets on the website www. beafanofshreveportbossier.com from now through May 7. Those taking advantage of the many opportunities to try some things about the area they may have not discovered can review and share those experiences on social media with the hashtag #BeAFanofSB. “Locals can be a community’s best ambassadors,” said Stacy Brown, president of the Shreveport- Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau. A winner will be selected from among all qualifying entrants May 9. For more information on things to see and do in Shreveport-Bossier, visit www.shreveport-bossier.org or call 800-551-8682. A full calendar of upcoming events in Shreveport-Bossier City can be found at www.SBFunGuide.com.

Camping World of Shreveport just opened at 3625 Industrial Drive at Interstate 20 in Bossier City. Camping World, the nation’s largest RV and outdoor retailer, and Good Sam, the world’s largest RV owners’ organization, announced the opening of the SuperCenter, one of 115 locations across the country, will continue through April 30. The location will offer a wide array of RV sales, service, parts and accessories for the outdoor enthusiast. “The Shreveport location is our second SuperCenter in the state of Louisiana, and we have seen a great response to the opening of this location, that will offer one-stopping for all of our customers’ outdoor and RV needs,” said Marcus Lemonis, host of CNBC’s “The Profit” and CEO and chairman of Camping World and Good Sam. This location will host a free lunch for visitors to the SuperCenter from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 23 and 30. The inventory includes hundreds of new and pre-owned motorhomes and towable RVs from the finest manufacturers and brands. For more information, go to www.CampingWorldofShreveport.com.