By the time she was 12, Connie Fabré had already seen much of the world. Her family lived in such far-flung places as Hong Kong, Belgium, Germany and India as her father pursued his career as an ExxonMobil engineer.
It had a huge impact on Fabré, and it wasn’t long before she wanted to follow in his footsteps. “I was definitely influenced by my father’s career,” Fabré says, “and living in so many different places gave me a unique perspective on life in general.”
More importantly, perhaps, she credits her parents for equipping her to navigate through challenges. It would prove to be an important skill set throughout her life.
“There were definitely some tough times during school when I thought about giving up, but Dad didn’t let me,” she says, laughing. “He lectured me and gave me the advice to believe in myself and keep going, and to not let setbacks deter me.”
Fabré ultimately earned a chemical engineering degree, and later an MBA, at LSU. In her professional career, she worked for a variety of industry-focused companies such as Monsanto, B.F. Goodrich, Exxon Chemicals and the Louisiana Chemical Association.
But it was perhaps her role as president of the student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, as she pursued her bachelor’s degree, that was most foretelling of her future. In that position, she guided a group of future chemical engineers in developing and accomplishing various goals related to industry—mirroring much of what she does today as president and CEO of the Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance.
It has been 19 years since she took the helm at GBRIA, and during her tenure she has guided the organization in bringing about meaningful, impactful change, while growing the group’s revenues by more than 500%.
Read the full story about Fabré’s career from the latest edition of Business Report. Send comments to editor@businessreport.com.
