The Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that Dr. Gayle Flowers has been selected as the Director of the Northwest Louisiana Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), located inside Chamber Plaza.
Flowers, a Louisiana State University Shreveport graduate, has devoted her entire career to improving life in Northwest Louisiana. She is a local workforce development professional with experience in leading some of the most advanced, customized, and relevant education and training in the state.
“We’re delighted to welcome Dr. Flowers to the Chamber team,” stated Dr. Timothy Magner, President of the Chamber. “Gayle is the consummate professional and we are confident that her leadership will help increase the outreach and impact that the PTAC has on economic development in our community.”
Covering the ten-parish region across Northwest Louisiana, the PTAC is a cooperative agreement between the Greater Shreveport Chamber and the Defense Logistics Agency. The primary mission of the PTAC is to positively impact and grow the local economy by increasing the number of federal, state and local government contract dollars being awarded to businesses located in our region, thereby creating and retaining jobs.
As the PTAC Director, Flowers will work in conjunction with PTAC counseling staff to prepare and certify businesses to bid for government contracts for their products and services. Her background as a workforce development champion in our area, makes her uniquely positioned to help create opportunities for local businesses, especially underserved sectors such as minority, woman-owned and veteran owned entities.
“I grew up in a small family business in Texas, owned and operated by my grandfather, father, and uncle, and my husband is part of a family business in the Shreveport-Bossier MSA,” said Dr. Flowers. “I know first-hand how important small and medium-sized businesses are to our community’s prosperity and success. As a result, I’m honored and looking forward to serving as the Director of the Northwest Louisiana Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC).”
Prior to joining the chamber, Flowers served as Vice Chancellor for Economic & Workforce Development at Bossier Parish Community College, where her division applied for and invested over $23 million in state grant funds to train 20,777 employees in Northwest Louisiana since the inception of the grants in 1999.