Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home

06/03/2026

For three years, I hosted a podcast called “Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home.”

158 episodes. Conversations with people doing meaningful work across our community. And honestly, that’s the side of the camera I’ve always preferred to be on.

But over the last two weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to sit in the other chair twice — first on EAP’s On The Cusp podcast, and now on Jeremy Sutton’s Shreveport-Bossier Local Lens podcast.

Two very different conversations. Two opportunities I’m genuinely grateful for.

One thing I’ve come to believe strongly is this: communities have to participate in telling their own story. If we don’t help shape the narrative, someone else will shape it for us.

That doesn’t mean pretending we don’t have challenges. It means refusing to believe the challenges are the entire story.

I appreciate Dave, Matt, and Jeremy for creating space for thoughtful conversations about where our community is, where it’s headed, and what’s possible here.

Places move forward when enough people decide their community is still worth believing in.

If you’d like to listen to the conversation with Jeremy, here’s the link:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shreveport-bossier-local-lens/id1735253735?i=1000770995267

06/03/2026

Shreveport exists because someone spent five years clearing a 160-mile logjam on the Red River.

Piece by piece.

Sometimes that’s how communities move forward too.

05/30/2026

Ways you know you live in a strong community:

You can’t make it through the grocery store without running into someone you know.

Somehow, a five-minute errand turns into a twenty-minute conversation.

05/28/2026

On October 20, 2025, I stepped into a very different chapter professionally as CEO of the Committee of 100.

One thing I’ve realized over the past several months is that many people still aren’t entirely sure what C100 is, what it does, or what we’re trying to help build across Shreveport-Bossier.

Before this role, I hosted a podcast for three years. This was my first long-form interview since taking on the position, and I appreciated the opportunity to talk about the organization, the region, and some of the opportunities in front of us.

If you’ve been curious what I’ve been focused on these days, this is probably the best place to start.

Join hosts Matt and Dave on On The Cusp as they sit down with Jeffr...

05/26/2026

One of the advantages of living in a community our size is this:

Sometimes a tradition can disappear…

and people can still care enough to bring it back.

The City tennis tournament began in 1923.
It went away in 2010.

But a group of people decided it mattered too much to lose.

So now it’s back.

More than 300 players.
22 different events.
Parents and kids.
Friends and families.
Former champions and first-time participants.

Strong communities are built by people who choose to preserve, rebuild, and pass something forward.

05/20/2026

I came across this old Shreveport newspaper clipping recently.

And this line stopped me:

“Our great need is for those of us who live in Shreveport to sell it…”

That was written decades ago.

Long before social media.
Long before branding campaigns.
Long before modern economic development strategies.

But it still feels true.

Every city has problems.

What separates communities over time is whether enough people are willing to keep believing in the place anyway…
and keep working to move it forward.

The stories a community tells about itself matter.

05/18/2026

This morning I asked AI a question:

“What makes a Shreveporter unique?”

(And for the record, when I say “Shreveporter,” I’m talking about the broader Shreveport-Bossier region as a whole.)

Here was part of the answer:

This city has always felt a little different.

Part Southern.
Part Louisiana.
Part Texas-influenced.
Part river city.
Part military town.
Part underdog.

And somehow all of that produces people who are more resilient, creative, entrepreneurial, and adaptable than outsiders often realize.

One thing I’ve always admired about Shreveporters:

People here keep showing up.

They start businesses.
Coach teams.
Serve on boards.
Open restaurants.
Support schools.
Fight for neighborhoods.
Try again.

Even through economic shifts, setbacks, and periods where the region has been overlooked.

There’s a persistence here that feels deeply rooted in the culture.

And maybe that’s what makes this place special.

Not blind optimism.
Not cynicism either.

Just a stubborn belief that this place is still worth investing in.

05/17/2026

🎬✨ SAVE THE DATE!! 🎬✨
It’s like a book club, but MUCH better!

Do you like movies? Do you like exploring behind the scenes and learning the nuts and bolts of movie making? If so, please join us for Reel Adventures: The Shop Around the Corner! It’s like a book club, but MUCH better! Along with good fun, food and drink, prizes awarded, and more.

It works like this: We pick a movie that is either available free of charge, or at minimal cost, on one or more digital platforms. You watch this movie in the comfort of your own home, and then we meet at the museum for a discussion led by film expert and director Jeffrey Goodman, intermixed with trivia and games.

We will be providing complimentary water, soft drinks, a signature-themed mocktail, and light hors d’oeuvres. However, you are encouraged to bring whatever snacks strike your fancy.

"The Shop Around the Corner" (1940) is a romantic comedy directed by Ernst Lubitsch, centering on Alfred Kralik (James Stewart) and Klara Novak (Margaret Sullavan),two employees at a Budapest leather goods shop who despise each other in person. Unbeknownst to them, they are falling in love through anonymous, romantic letters as secret pen pals.

Tickets are available at https://shorturl.at/ODoU2

05/17/2026

I used to notice something whenever I traveled.

Flights back to Shreveport often seemed to leave from the gate nobody noticed.

The far end of the terminal.
The quieter corner.

But recently, returning through Atlanta, I found myself at a large central gate heading home.

And I had a thought:

What if over the next 20 years, we built our region into a place so recognizable, so economically relevant, so full of momentum…

that getting to Shreveport felt connected to one of the airport’s most important gates?

Maybe that’s what long-term civic work is really about.

05/16/2026

One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about this work is discovering the people, organizations, and spaces quietly moving our community forward.

This week included conversations with Shreveport Common, Collaboration Link, The Boot, and Revitalize Historic Highland.

And moments like this.

An incredible space along Texas Avenue that reminded me how much creativity, energy, and potential already exists here.

The more time I spend listening and learning, the more optimistic I become about where Shreveport-Bossier can go.