Meet Emerie Holtzclaw | Business Owner, Event Planner, Public Relations and Marketing Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emerie Holtzclaw and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emerie, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
The one quote that always sticks out to me comes from Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not.” It can be applied to your personal life, work, and community. I truly care about the work I do. I want my client’s to succeed, the community to enjoy the events we put on, my family to have a good quality of life, and to be happy, but none of that happens if you just don’t care. You could sum that up to being passionate. Passion drives me every day. It is where my creativity, love, and authenticity come from and it is also where my strength and resolve resides. As an event planner, all of those qualities are needed (sometimes all on the same day), in order to be successful. On good days, bad days, and everything in between, this quote resonates with me and reminds me of my why.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

Emerie Eck Holtzclaw is the owner of Lagniappe P.R.I.M.E., LLC., a consulting company dedicated to helping clients grow their brand footprint by showcasing their strengths through effective public relations, creative integrated marketing, and engaging events.

In 2017, after a lot of nudging from friends and colleagues, I created Lagniappe P.R.I.M.E. with one client and now have the pleasure of working with over 20 clients in Northwest Louisiana. It has been an honor to serve my clients with award winning PR/Marketing campaigns and events over the last 5.5 years. I won’t sugar coat it, getting started was not easy, in fact it was kind of scary because I was a single mother of two boys at the time, but the community that I served for many years was ready to support my business endeavor. Support is more than becoming a client, it means answering your calls when you have questions, returning emails about resources, referring to good businesses/organizations when you need services, and so much more. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the people that did this for me along the way and still do today.

I currently work with clients ranging from a Dietitian, Chiropractor, Physical Therapist, Florist, Tourism Bureau, Nonprofit Cultural Bearer Organizations, and more. My days are always different, some better than others, but never a dull moment. I am truly passionate about the work I do, putting extra care and effort into all of my projects, always giving 110%. This is why I chose the name “Lagniappe” which means “a little something extra”.

Events are probably my favorite aspect of my career. There is just something about bringing people together that makes my heart full. So, when I can help create a memorable experience for the community with an event, it makes my work even more enjoyable. And the teams I get to work with are absolutely amazing! It has been said “If you love what you do you will never work a day in your life” but I disagree. I love what I do, but we work hard! And it isn’t glamorous, it is hot and sweaty or cold and wet, and almost never involves makeup and good hair days. Events take months of planning, strategizing, marketing, budgeting, contracting, negotiating, etc. and once it is happening, you have to roll with it! You are running around checking on things, making sure things are going smoothly or you are putting out fires, but you do have a brief moment to look around to see the fruits of your labor. When you do take the time to stop, then you will see parents dancing with their children, hear the next big band to hit the music scene, admire amazing art, taste exquisite food, and see how you made an impact in the quality of life for your community. It is in that moment that all the hard work paid off….and then you go back to work (maybe with a slight tear in your eye and definitely a smile on your face)!

What’s coming in the future? I have an event that I am really excited about that will be happening in 2025…stay tuned for more information!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

That depends on the weekend!

Any given weekend there could be a plethora of events going on in Shreveport-Bossier, so we would definitely plan the itinerary around whatever sounds the most fun. NEVER miss a weekend in Shreveport-Bossier when the following events are happening: Red River Revel Arts Festival, Highland Jazz and Blues Festival, Mudbug Madness, Shreveport Farmers’ Market, 318 Restaurant Week, CORK: A Red River Revel Wine Event, or BREW: Shreveport’s Beer Festival (yeah – all shameless plugs!). Up for Brunch or Ralph’s Place is a great spot to grab breakfast or brunch before some event hopping, then later maybe dinner and a movie at Robinson Film Center and Abby Singer’s Bistro. However, we could change all of that up enjoy the amazing food culture in our area at a number of spots like Orlandeaux’s Cafe, Ernest’s Orleans, Earnestly Tootie’s, Frank’s Pizza Napoletana, Giuseppe’s Pastacaffe, Tejas Kitchen Bar Patio, Port City BBQ, Ki’Mexico, We Olive and Wine Bar, and many more. If beer is your thing, we have 4 breweries to choose from (2 on both sides of the river). We have outdoorsy stuff (more than patio dining) like Caddo Lake or strolling through the gardens at the American Rose Center. If you want sports, we have the Shreveport Mudbugs, a hockey team, and the Shreveport Mavericks, a basketball team, along with the 11th oldest college bowl game in the country, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. We have multiple museums, educational places for kids like Sci-Port Discovery Center and the Shreveport Aquarium, casinos for those adults who like to gamble, live music on almost every corner and so much more! Shreveport-Bossier is really a great place to live, work, and play! For me, there is just no place like home!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Six years ago, I would have never imagined I would be writing this today and I hope six years from now I will be just as happy and super stoked reading about the next creative entrepreneur making cool moves in their community! I owe a lot of people thanks, way too many to mention (it would be a book!), but the list includes my husband, all of my family, friends, clients, mentors, colleagues, anyone that has ever volunteered, sponsored, or attended our events, anyone that has given me good advice, anyone that taught me valuable lessons (good and bad), everyone that has enjoyed a laugh with me or been a shoulder to cry on, and anyone that pushed me to keep going and not to give up. We are nothing without the support of the people in our lives and I appreciate everyone that has ever been involved in my journey.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emerie-eck-holtzclaw-8b42124b/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lagniappeprime

Image Credits
Photographed by Crystal Davis with Fresh Bokeh