Visit Lake Charles is proud to announce the recent appointments of Eric Avery, Nathaniel Allured, and Hiren Zaveri to the board of directors.

 

Avery, selected by the Southwest Louisiana Restaurant Association, is the president and managing partner of Crying Eagle Brewing Company and Neighborhood Mini Storage. Over the years, he has been involved with the Board of Directors for SWLA Chamber of Commerce, Louisiana Brewers Guild, Immaculate Conception Cathedral School, American Red Cross, Self-Storage Association of Louisiana, Chamber SWLA and Big Easy Foods. He has extensive civic, medical and non-profit volunteer experience. A native of Sulphur, Avery earned his Bachelor of Science from McNeese State University in 1999 and his master’s degree from Louisiana State University in 2001.

 

A Lake Charles native and graduate of McNeese State University, Allured spent most of his post-collegiate career in the wine industry as a sales manager with a top national distributor. In 2015, after nearly a decade in the wine business, he formed Calcasieu RR Enterprises LLC, a Real Estate holding company along with other investors. Allured embarked on two new endeavors in 2018 launching Smoke & Barrel Inc., a non-profit corporation, and The Grounds Guys of Lake Charles, a professional lawn and landscape company. In 2021, he was appointed to the City of Lake Charles Downtown Development Authority and was invited by Just Imagine SWLA to be the Project Champion of the Strong Downtowns team. Allured represents Southwest Louisiana Festivals on Visit Lake Charles’ board of directors.

 

A Lake Charles native, Zaveri attended Louisiana State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in accounting in 2014, completing his MBA in 2021 from McNeese State University. He is the co-founder of Prosperity Hospitality Management LLC, serving as the CFO for Prosperity Hospitality. Zaveri also owns and manages several hotels in the Lake Charles/Sulphur area, and he is a member of the Greater Lake Charles Rotary Club where he serves as a board member and executive treasurer. Zaveri is also a previous ambassador for the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) in the Gulf Region. Zaveri presents the Southwest Louisiana Lodging Association.

 

“Eric, Nathaniel, and Hiren each have a rich and deep knowledge base with a variety of experiences that will enhance their abilities to help guide Visit Lake Charles into the future. From food and beverage, event planning and marketing, hospitality and tourism, destination development and real estate, their collective levels of expertise will be invaluable to support staff in reaching new heights for Southwest Louisiana when it comes to bolstering efforts to promote the destination,” said Kyle Edmiston, President/CEO of Visit Lake Charles. 

 

The CVB is governed by an 11-member board of directors. Nimesh “Nick” Zaver is the chair for 2023 with Kane Mitchell serving as the vice chair; and Mike Buckley as the secretary/treasurer.       


For more information on Visit Lake Charles, log onto www.visitlakecharles.org or call 337-436-9588. 

 

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