​Coffee & Community is a Young Professionals event, which connects Young Professionals to community leaders and provides informational sessions about issues that impact their region.



Our Jefferson Chamber Young Professionals will hear from JEDCO's President & CEO Jerry Bologna this month. 

Jerry Bologna serves as President & CEO of the Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission (JEDCO). Since 2000, Jerry has played a significant role in industry recruitment, business retention efforts and major projects throughout Jefferson Parish. He brokered the $1 billion investment of global industry leader Dyno Nobel America and played an influential role in the acquisition of the Avondale Shipyard, one of the regions greatest physical assets. Jerry has also attracted international headquarters and publicly traded brands, such as Sleep Number Corporation, Amazon, and US Foods to Jefferson. In 2011, he was recognized by the International Economic Development Council as the New Economic Development Professional of the Year and achieved the Certified Economic Developer designation that same year. Jerry's work with Ochsner Health System has supported the development of an underutilized stretch of Jefferson Highway into an international healthcare destination through nearly $400 million in capital improvements and the creation of an additional 3,200 jobs. In addition to his work at JEDCO, Jerry serves on the board of the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce and he is Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the University of Holy Cross. Jerry also serves on the Board of Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic. He previously served on the boards of Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, Greater New Orleans, Inc. and the Louisiana Industrial Development Executives Association (LIDEA), where he was President in 2017. Jerry received notable recognitions during his many years at JEDCO, including: "40 Under 40" in international economic development (Development Counsellors International); "Business Person of the Year" for 2018 (Biz New Orleans Magazine) and one of the Top 50 Economic Developers in North America (Consultant Connect). In 2016, the Bureau of Governmental Research recognized him for Excellence in Government. Under his leadership, JEDCO was named to the inaugural UNO25, a list of high performing regional businesses and organizations led by University of New Orleans alumni.
 

Join us on Thursday, April 13th to learn more about how JEDCO is impacting our region through economic & business development.